Interference
by controlled climb
Summary: When Ginny realizes that Fred and Hermione feelings for each other are more than friendly, she's the first to nudge them in the right direction. George, Harry, Ron and the rest are right behind her. Written with RGBTheDuckie.
1. Eavesdropping & Ice Cream

**Disclaimers and Author's Notes: First off, myself and my best friend, Rachel (RGBTheDuckie), are both writing this story together. It is only on my account due to certain goals in mind. And yup, neither of us own Harry Potter and co ~.**

* * *

Ginny smirked to herself, pressing her ear against the door, trying to suppress girlish giggles from escaping her mouth. Hearing the twins keep chattering almost made her snap, forcing her to place her hand over her mouth. Though George and Fred were identical, they talked slightly differently, especially to each other. George was, as always, loud, and didn't bother to keep his voice low. Fred, on the other hand, did occasionally try to be quiet, usually when they were planning a prank though.

"Come on, Freddie boy!" George was exclaiming. "It's the holidays, stop moping."

Ginny raised her eyebrows. Since when did either of the twins mope? It just didn't fit in with their, usually, bright personality. It was true, they were often annoying, but neither was known for being upset, at all. So for Fred to be moping, something big must have happened. She pressed her ear against the door once more, eager to listen to the rest of the conversation.

"I'm sure she's just –" George started again.

"Shut it, George," Fred replied, burying his head into this pillow. "She hates me!"

Ginny bit her lip nervously. She was beginning to feel bad about listening in on their conversation. It wasn't as if though the two hadn't listened in on her own private conversations before, but the twin's talked about everything, she knew that. She contemplated whether she should just knock on the door and walk in, hoping that they would continue talking, or whether to stay put and listen. She chose the latter, and sat quietly, urging the two to continue.

"She's just a girl," George moaned. "Let's go."

"I'll pass thanks," Fred replied, sounding genuinely upset.

Ginny made up her minding, banging on the door and striding in. Fred was lying face down on his bed, whilst George sat on his own. She rolled her eyes, determined to make sure neither of the two figured out that she had been eavesdropping. Ginny sat next to George, eyeing Fred.

"What's up?" she asked casually.

"My other half," George gestured wildly at Fred. "Is currently wallowing in his own despair."

Ginny giggled at his choice of words. "And why is he doing that?"

"Gin," Fred snapped into attention, directing a wide grin at his younger sister. "I'm fine, George is just being a –"

"Caring brother?" George interjected. "Come on Fred. Just tell Gin, she's not going to care."

Ginny glanced to George first, before shifting her gaze to Fred, who had suddenly seemed extremely interested in the floor. Unlike her two brothers, she didn't make a habit of poking her nose into other people's business, but it seemed like the right time to make an exception.

George. He had a mentioned a girl before. Why would Fred be upset over a girl? Almost every girl in Gryffindor wanted to date either one of the twins, they had quite a reputation. Besides, Fred had never cared about having a girlfriend before, or rather, not having a girlfriend, as it seemed. It didn't make sense.

"Who is she then?" Ginny said, going on a whim.

"How'd you know it was a girl?" George glanced curiously at his sister.

She shrugged. "Girl's initiative." She paused, taking in a breath, wondering whether they would buy it. George seemed satisfied with her response, and cast a questioning glance over to Fred.

"He's having," George paused, searching for the right words. "Girl problems."

"Yeah right," Ginny scoffed. "Every girl at Hogwarts love you two," she continued, voicing her previous thoughts out loud.

"Apparently not," Fred muttered.

"So what did you do to make her hate you?" she asked, swinging her legs. She gasped, realizing she had just blown her cover.

"How'd you know that?" Fred yelled, pointing an accusing finger at his twin. "This is why you whisper!"

"Sorry, but you were being loud too."

"Actually," Ginny murmured quietly, not wanting to push her luck. "Fred really is a lot quieter than you. Takes two to whisper quietly, you know." She caught George glaring at her and hastily switched back to the previous subject. "So who is she?"

A flash of annoyance streaked in Fred's eyes. "Who do think, Gin? She hates me!"

Ginny shrugged weakly. "There's all of Slytherin, then. You don't fancy a Slytherin, do you?"

A smile tweaked at the edges of his mouth, and he held back a chuckle before shaking his head. "No, of course not, Gin," Fred managed to gasp out. "Gryffindor," he added helpfully.

Ginny grinned at the fact that her brother was giving her hints. It would make it easier to guess without him trying to prank her. She began mentally going through the girls again.

"What year?" she demanded to know.

"Fifth," Fred and George answered together. Ginny sighed, pushing her red bangs out of her eyes. Fifth. Ron would probably know, that was his year, after all. Ron. Lavender. Ron's girlfriend Lavender.

"Lavender?" Ginny whimpered. _Please say no, _she muttered in her mind. _Please, please say no._ To her relief, both twins promptly burst into hysterical fits of laughter. She sighed happily before asking her next question, "Why doesn't she hate you?"

"It might have something to do with –"

"Fred!" Ginny gasped, interrupting George. "You don't like –"

"I was surprised too," George nodded. Ginny responded by gaping at the two of them. It didn't even occur to her for a minute that her and George had just had an, almost, twin-like, conversation. George continued to nod solemnly, watching as his twin flushed red. Ginny raised her hand to cover her mouth in shock. Hermione Granger. She hated the twins. Well, not really, she just disapproved of their constant pranks. Fred Weasley. He couldn't like Hermione Granger. She was known for being the bossy know-it-all, the brightest witch of her age. He was the school's biggest jokester.

"Hermione?" she whispered, waiting for the confirmation. She grinned wickedly as her older brother muttered something unintelligible under his breath before nodding at her. She squealed happily, leaping off George's bed. "I've got to tell her."

"Gin," Fred looked shocked now, and had raised his voice, sounding pained. "You can't."

Ginny turned around, looking at his face. His expression matched his voice, a feeling of agony spreading over it. She was genuinely shocked, why wouldn't he want her to tell her?_Of course_, Ginny slapped herself lightly on the forehead. _He doesn't know…_

Both the boys raised their eyebrows as they watched Ginny hit herself. She turned, flashing a small smile at Fred, before sprinting into the hallway to find a certain bushy-haired girl.

Fred lay back, exasperated. George caught his eye, giving him a sympathetic look. Ginny often blew things out of proportion, so there was a small, okay, large, chance that she would run off and tell Hermione. They were best friends, after all.

"Hermione! Hermione!" Ginny yelled, streaming into the room she was sharing with her.

"Ginny?" Hermione glanced over at her friend above the textbook she was holding. As usual she had decided to do some studying before the term started.

"You'll never guess what I just walked in on," Ginny squealed, not bothering to hide her excitement. "Fred said that –" She broke off, watching as a very upset George burst into the room, glaring daggers at his sister.

"Sorry." His face softened, as her face fell. "He told me I had to make sure you didn't breathe a word."

Ginny shrugged. The two seemed to have forgotten Hermione's presence, and she had happily gone back to her books, occasionally scribbling notes on her parchment. She didn't notice when George dragged Ginny out of the room forcefully.

He was searing mad, and pushed her against the wall, his eyes suddenly narrowing again.

"Fred is going to bloody _kill_ you," he groaned, running his fingers through his hair. George winced, releasing her from his firm grasp. "Sorry, Gin."

"It's okay," whispered Ginny. She had been scared, terrified even. None of her brothers had ever treated her with such force before. Usually a bit of yelling, usually from Ron, did the trick. They had never really _hurt_ her. She watched, her head cocked to the side, as he walked away from her.

"George!" she called out suddenly. "Do me a favour?"

"Of course, dear sister," he grinned wildly, bowing sarcastically.

"Help me get them together."

* * *

Ginny sat down at the table next Hermione. She smiled at her before starting to load her plate with food. She wasn't immune to the Weasley appetite, even if she was the only girl. All her friends were amazed at how she could eat so much and stay so little. She just smiled when they mentioned it. There were pluses to being a Weasley.

"Where have you been all afternoon?" Hermione asked. "I haven't seen you since lunch."

Ginny choked on the potato she was eating. She had been scheming with George all afternoon. But she couldn't tell her that. Hermione would never let anyone play matchmaker for her. If she found out she would probably spend an hour lecturing her on why you shouldn't meddle in other people private life, and maybe even throw a few hexes. Ginny's mind whizzed with lame excuses. She swallowed the potato.

"Um, well, I was, er..." Hermione was flashing her a queer look; she needed an idea fast. Her eyes scanned the room, looking for inspiration. Her eyes landing on a discarded broom stick, lying on the floor.

"George was helping me with quidditch. I wanted to try out for the team next year, and he offered to help me." She breathed a sigh of relief seeing that her friend had fallen for her excuse.

"I always wanted to learn how to fly. I thought about asking Harry or Ron, but you know them they'd probably laugh at me."

Ginny nodded. She knew for a fact that her git of a brother would definitely make fun of Hermione if she asked him. Personally she thought Harry would be kinder. But her opinion was probably biased. She had been crushing on him since she had first saw him at Kings Cross.

She went back to her food, making a mental note to one day teach Hermione how to fly.

"I smell food," George said, as he and his twin entered the room. He plopped down in the chair opposite Ginny, and Fred sat beside him. She watched as Fred's eyes wondered to Hermione. He smiled at her before shifting his glance to Ginny. He gave her an almost pleading look, a look that said _'i__f you tell her I may have to kill you.' _She grinned at her brother. At the moment she had no attention of telling Hermione; even though she was positive Hermione felt the same way about him. She was only going to tell her if it was absolutely necessary. But currently it wasn't; she had a plan.

The table soon filled with the reaming Weasley's and Harry. Ginny joined in with the conversation, but always kept an eye on Fred and Hermione. To her infuriation, neither did anything. She would occasionally catch Fred glancing in her direction, but apart from that nothing happened till half way through dessert. Ginny had practically given up on them. She didn't even know what she was expecting. She didn't really think one of them to jump up on the table and declare their love. But now that she knew about Fred's little secret, she couldn't get the thought out of her head.

She was talking to Harry. Hermione had told him about her wanting to play Quidditch. She didn't really mind, after all, anything that got Harry talking to her had to be a good thing, right? George had caught on quickly and gone along with it. And she did want to get into the team next year. They had never let her play, but she had been practising for ages; stealing her brothers brooms in turn.

"What position do you want to play?" Harry asked, looking genuinely interested.

"Chaser, and Alicia and Angelina are leaving this year so there will be free spots."

"I still can't believe you've been stealing our brooms all these years," Fred interrupted. Ginny's eyes twinkled mischievously.

"I can," George said, shovelling ice cream in his mouth. "Have you seen her Bat-Bogey hex?" Everyone laughed as Ginny smiled innocently.

"Pass me the ice cream would you?" Fred asked. Ginny went to pick up the bowl of ice cream that was sitting in front of her, but someone had already beaten her to it. She looked up to see Hermione leaning across the table to hand Fred the bowl. His breath caught in his chest. _Breathe,_ he told himself, _act cool_. Hermione's eyes locked with his momentarily. She looked like she wanted to say something. She got as far as opening her mouth, before changing her mind. Her mouth snapped shut.

"Thanks," Fred said, his voice barely above a whisper. She moved her hand in gesture for him to take it. He reached out, but not before both Hermione's had hands slipped from the surface of the bowl. Both their mouths hung open, as it flew towards Fred.

The bowl bounced of his upper body and smashed against the table, shattering into pieces. The ice cream stuck to his chest. He was covered in a sticky strawberry flavoured mess. Hermione made a small shriek before bursting into apologies. He laughed looking down at himself.

"It's okay," he said, finally responding to her apologies before picking up a spoon and starting to eat the ice cream from his shirt. Much to his delight, Hermione giggled as he did this.

"Fred, stop that, it's disgusting," Mrs Weasley said bustling over. She magically fixed the bowl before looking up at Hermione.

"Don't worry about it dear, I've lost count of the things that get broken around here." She turned to her son. "You, go get cleaned up." Fred pouted but stood and left the table, not wanting to face the wrath of his mother.

As everyone started to leave the table Ginny pulled George away. Hermione was still down stairs, so she dragged him into her room. He sat down on his sisters bed while Ginny began to pace.

"See! She likes him, he likes her," Ginny exclaimed happily, but George only looked a her; not entirely convinced.

"I know I agreed to help you, and I'd like nothing more than Fred to be happy, but are you sure Hermione likes him?"

Ginny stopped pacing and glared at him. "Of course I'm sure. I wouldn't be doing this if I wasn't sure. Didn't you see the way she acted at dinner? The staring into his eyes, the trying to say something but thinking better of it. And if isn't enough for you what about the throwing of the ice cream?" She was nearly screaming by the end of it. He sighed and lay back on the bed. It was typical of Ginny to get hung up on the little details.

"Maybe she is just a klutz," he suggested.

She scowled. "She is not! She has never thrown food at me, or you. She is totally smitten."

George was still sceptical. He wanted it to be true, for his brother's sake. But he knew if he got Fred's hopes up the down fall would be horrible.

"Has she actually ever said to you 'I like Fred'?" He asked.

Ginny frowned. "Well no," she muttered, not liking where her brother was heading. "But you know Hermione, she keeps all her secrets bottled up."

George ran his fingers through his hair. "We can't be sure unless she says it," she tried to butt in but George put his hand up to stop her. "If you can get her to say 'I like Fred', those exact words. No maybes, buts, or possibly. I will help you. I will break the damn law if I have to, but only if you can get her to say it."

Ginny smiled, almost smirking as she thought of the task ahead. "Easy."

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**Kimberley: Any author's notes, Rachie?**

**Rachel: Um. This the the first chapter... Reviews please?**

**Kimberley: Hope you enjoyed! (;**

**x - Love RGBTheDuckie and xakemii**


	2. Confessions

**Disclaimer: Written by RGBTheDuckie and xakemii**

**Unfortunately, neither of us own Harry and co. **

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Hermione sat on her bed, her hair wrapped with a fluffy towel as it dried. The girls at Hogwarts often laughed at her when she did this; drying her hair the muggle way, but in all honesty she did often prefer to do things the muggle way. The accident at dinner was still running through her mind. She almost groaned at the memory. How could she have been so clumsy? Luckily, Fred had taken the whole thing in stride, and hadn't caused her too much embarrassment. Hermione had scurried up the stairs quickly, eager to get away from the eyes that were glued to her. She frowned involuntarily, remembering the somewhat evil smirk that was etched on Ginny's face as she had left. She had only just caught it out of the corner of her eye, but it had definitely been there.

Hermione shook the thoughts from her head as Ginny entered the room. That look was still there; clear as day. Damn. That look meant one thing. Trouble. Hermione raised her eyebrows as Ginny sat next to her, throwing some clothes in her direction. She looked down at herself. She had a towel wrapped around her, as she always did after a shower. True, she did always get dressed soon after, usually after her hair had dried, but it wasn't often that Ginny would press her to get dressed.

"Well?" Ginny stared at Hermione, cocking her hip to her side. Hermione sighed, knowing that this was one battle that she was not going to win. So instead of arguing, or even questioning her friend, she pulled on the jeans quietly, not fussing while she got dressed. Ginny gaped in surprise. It wasn't often that Hermione went down without a fight, and it was a pleasant surprise to see that she wasn't going to cause a riot. Arguing with Hermione was one thing that she would definitely be better off without.

"What is it, Ginny?" Hermione finally asked, sick of the silence that had been echoing around the room. You could have heard a pin drop.

"At dinner tonight..." Ginny trailed off, grinning as a she watched her friend turn a sickly green.

"Can we not talk about that, please?"she begged. It was bad enough that the whole family were probably talking about it downstairs as she spoke, and that Ron would probably tease her mercilessly about it for the rest of her life, but Ginny asking her about it would just tip her off the edge.

Ginny opened her mouth to reply, ready to persist in questioning. She stopped herself though, seeing Hermione's pleading frame.

"What about a game of Truth of Dare?" Ginny finally suggested.

"There's only two of us," Hermione said sceptically. "What do you want to know?"

_She knows me too well, _Ginny thought to herself. She was contemplating how to answer Hermione's question, whilst Hermine sat on the bed, glaring at her. She could always be straight out, and just ask her whether she liked Fred, after all, Ginny never was the type to beat around the bush. A nagging feeling in her stomach told her that this wasn't quite the right way to handle the situation, though. Call it what you will, but her sixth sense was not letting her screw this one up.

"Do you like my brother?"

"Care to elaborate?" Hermione asked, trying to blink away her confusion. "You have six, which brother would you be talking about?" She tried to appear unmoved and uninterested as she stared down at her hands. Her actions didn't fool Ginny, who smirked happily.

"Well, Ron? I mean, you've been best friends for ages..."

Hermione promptly burst out into fits of laughter, clutching her sides. "Merlin, no!"

"What about Percy?" Ginny didn't bother trying to hide her tone of disgust as she mentioned his name. "You two are awfully alike."

"Is there a point to this?"

At this, Ginny raised her head, eyes as wide as saucers, and looking like a deer caught by a cars spotlights. Yes, Hermione always had been the smart one, but she wasn't that smart. Being her best friend, Ginny knew a few tricks that would have her speaking the truth in no time. That is, if all went to plan.

"You do like Percy!" she exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger towards Hermione. "I know I don't like him, but if he makes you my sister, I might just forgive him."

"No! No!" Hermione stuttered, flustered. "I do like your brother though," she added in a quiet whisper. She had lowered her head at this point, and didn't see the laughter that was gleaming in Ginny's eyes.

"Well," Ginny said, feigning thoughtfulness. "You are destined to become a Weasley. Who's lucky bloke then?"

Hermione muttered something under her breath, much to Ginny's despair. No, no, no! If George was going to help her, Hermione had to at least be slightly louder. Just loud enough to reach the door. It wasn't that hard, was it? Even though Ginny had seen the words formed on Hermione's lips, she had to ask again, in hopes that she would be louder this time. Merlin, she'd pretend she was deaf if it mean that Hermione let her words reach that door.

"I like..." Hermione bit her lip, obviously questioning herself, whether this was a smart idea or not. "Fred."

* * *

George was leaning against the wall, his ear pressed to the door, quite similiar to the position that Ginny had been in a few hours beforehand. He was straining his hearing, due to the fact that he hadn't wanted to ask Fred where the Extendable-Ears were. George was the forgetful twin, and often forgot where numerous inventions were kept. It was annoying, having to be in such an awkward position, but it was either that he made Fred curious, or that he was uncomfortable for a few minutes. Needless to say, he choose the latter.

He had always known that Ginny and Hermione were close friends, and it seemed that the two kept very little from each other. This was hardly surprising, considering Hermione's other two best friends were boys. It wasn't as if though Harry and Ron weren't good friends, after all, there was something about saving someone from a troll that binded you in a way that you were just automatically very good friends, and in the trio's case, best friends. Being the only girl had taken it's toll on Hermione though, and soon after second year, Hermione began to lean towards Ginny an awful lot. Ginny had been delighted. She had first seen it as an oppurtunity to get closer to Harry, but soon the two had become genuine friends.

George had, however, doubted that Ginny would be able to make Hermione say those three words. Like she had pointed out previously, Hermione was the type of girl with many secrets, and stuck to the rule, 'If you don't want anyone to know, don't tell anyone.' This was one of the many reasons why George had struggled to keep himself upright when Ginny's devious little plan had worked. He got up hastily, retreating to his room. There was a small chance that Ginny would let Hermione leave the room now, but even so, you had to take the precautions, didn't you?

"Where've you been?" Fred asked, not glancing up from the cauldron in front of him.

"Mum wanted me to help her clean up the ice cream," George lied smoothly, walking towards the bubbling potion with interest. "Ah, you figured out what was missing?" He recognized it as one the the inventions they had been working on a few days ago.

"Leech juice," he replied, a scowl forming on his face. "Disgusting."

George laughed whole-heartedly, before changing the subject, "Dessert was some event."

"Yes," Fred agreed, only being slightly cautious. "I guess having ice cream dropped on you is quite eventful."

"Dropped?" George quirked his eyebrow.

"You don't think she threw it?"

"Hermione's not really known for being a klutz," he commented, remembering his previous conversation with Ginny. "Maybe she was distracted."

Fred snorted. "By what?"

"Someone," was the short reply. George watched as his twin frown deepened. It wasn't often that you saw either of the two with a frown on their face, and George was surprised at how out of place it looked. Prehaps that hadn't been the best thing to say after all. He looked crestfallen, and it took all of George's willpower not to scream the news he had just heard out loud. Of course, he couldn't. If he did that, it would most likely ruin any plans that Ginny had been cooking up, and no one liked to be on the end of her Bat-Bogey hexes. He sighed, taking the stirrer from his brother. "You okay, mate?"

"I might just lay down, yeah?" Fred didn't wait for a reply and turned his back quickly, reaching to get his pajamas from his drawers.

"G' night," George muttered. Not for the first time, he was beginning to doubt his sister's scheme. He looked towards his forlourn twin, before shifting those thoughts to the back of his mind. He waited a few moments, and then left the room, letting the door close quietly behind him. There was some scheming to be done.

* * *

Harry woke abruptly. His whole body was covered in a layer of sweat, and his heart was threatening to break through his ribcage. He sat bolt upright, gulping in mouthfuls of air. His hand clutched onto the edge of the mattress he was sleeping on, his knuckled turning white from holding on so hard. He stayed there, taking in deep breaths. When he was sure he wasn't about to hyperventilate he lay back down.

It was the same nightmare, it always was. He was back in the graveyard, watching Cedric be killed. There was nothing he could do to stop it. He felt the pain as Voldemort tortured him, again and again. It was like that memory was stuck on replay. He closed his eyes and tried to shake the thought from his head. He wasn't in the graveyard again, he was in Ron's bedroom. Safe for the time being. He glanced over in the direction of Ron's bed. He was fast asleep, and Harry breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that his nightmares were often rather vocal. He didn't want Ron to wake up and find him writhing around in his bed. This was his problem and he was going to deal with it.

He rolled onto his side to look at the clock that between his and Ron's bed. 1:26. He buried his face in the pillow. He didn't want to go back to sleep. He didn't want to have to face Voldemort for the second time that night. He threw the pillow across the room in annoyance, instantly regretting it when his head was left with nothing to lean on. Groaning quietly, he swung his legs across so he was sitting on the side of the bed. No matter what, he wasn't getting back to sleep tonight. He grabbed a sweater that was heaped on the floorand pulled it over his head as he made his way to the door. He tip toed quietly so he didn't wake Ron. He pulled the door shut behind him, and began descending the Weasley's long staircase.

Harry was about to turn into the kitchen when he heard noises coming from the living room. Burglars, he thought at once, before realizing how absurd that thought was. The Weasley's had too good of security for common burglars to get in, besides, they were wizards, weren't they? Silently, he walked towards the door. His hand was on the doorknob, ready to turn when he heard a voice.

"That wouldn't work, and you know it." It took him a moment to place the voice. He was sure he'd heard the soft feminine tone before. The second voice made no effort to keep his voice down.

"Come on, Gin! I thought locking them in a closet was a good idea."

George and Ginny, Harry finally realized. What were they doing up so late? And, probably a more important question, who were they locking in a closet?

"It probably is in theory, but do you know a spell that could keep Hermione in a closet? She'd probably blow the door off its hinges. And then she'd come after the person who locked her in there."

Hermione, they were locking Hermione in a closet. The question now was why were they even considering locking Hermione in closet? Didn't they realize she'd probably hex them into oblivion for even thinking such thoughts?

"Look we've been at it for hours and we don't have one decent plan. Maybe we should give up," the voice belonged to George, but it was a very un-George thing to say.

"Oii, you promised me you would help," Ginny said fiercely. Harry could almost imagine her flushing with anger.

"Yea, I know. But I didn't know it was going to be so hard." The pair was silent for a moment. Harry shuffled his feet, trying to adjust his position. He instantly regretted it as his foot caused one of the wooden floor boards he was standing on to creak. He swore in his head, as the people in the room jumped from their chairs.

"Did you hear that?" Ginny asked. It was a stupid question really. The noise had been clear and loud. People in the next town over probably heard it.

"No, this time sis, you're not imagining it," George said. Harry had started backing away from the door. He didn't want to get caught eavesdropping on their conversation. He'd heard about Ginny's infamous Bat-Bogey hexes.

"Who's there?" George called. Harry's back hit the stair rail, he was about to turn and make a run for it when the door swung open.

Two fiery red heads had their wands pointed at him. His hands flew up in the air in a sign of surrender.

Harry mumbled awkward hello, his eyes glued to his feet the entire time. The siblings lowered their wands slightly.

"What the hell are you doing Harry?" Ginny said through gritted teeth.

"Um, nothing," Harry said, still not sure if she was going to hex him or not. George rolled his eyes.

"Nothing, great to know," he said, before grabbing Harry by the wrist and dragging him into the living room.

Ginny and George sat down on the couch. Harry took the seat opposite them. He felt slightly like he was being interrogated on one of the old cop shows Dudley use to watch.

"Talk. Now," Ginny said not bothering to beat around the bush. Harry started to tell them about how he had a nightmare. He noticed a flash of concern cross Ginny's face as he mentioned it. He hurried past the and explained how he had been going downstairs and had heard them talking.

"All I heard was you're locking Hermione in the closet," Harry finished.

"How many times do I have to say it? We are not locking her in a closet, it wouldn't work," Ginny glared at George as if it was all his fault. Harry was still confused.

"What are you two plotting?" he asked curiously. The two people in front of him exchanged glances. Wondering whether or not to tell him, he assumed.

"We may as well tell him," George decided finally. "Hermione's his best mate. He'll want her to be happy." Harry didn't interrupt even though he wanted to. What was going on? Ginny sighed, and started telling him the story.

Harry listened as she told him about how she had had suspicions that Hermione liked her brother, and then how she had found out that he felt the same way. She explained in further detail the ice cream incident he had witnessed and about Hermione muttering those three small, but very important, words. There was silence in the room as Harry took it all in.

He was the one who broke the silence. "Why don't you just tell them?" he asked.

George looked shocked, and rather appalled. "Harry, that is too easy. Something so simple would never work."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Well then I guess we need to think of a plan."

"So you're in?" she asked, grinning at him.

"Definitely," Harry said thumping his hand down on the table.

"Good, because I think I have an idea."

* * *

**A/N: *Trumpets play* Here it is the second chapter! Big THANK YOU to everyone who reviewed/favourited/story alerted or even just READ our story. It is much appreciated. We are going away on camp tomorrow so we won't be able to update for 4ish day's. But don't worry the next chapter is coming! We are really enjoying writing this so hope you guys enjoy reading it. Reviews would be LOVED so just push that attractive looking green button somewhere underneath this Authors Note.**

**xo ~ RGBTheDuckie & xakemii**


	3. The Plan

**Disclaimer: Another chapter written by yours truly, Rachel and Kimberley. Neither own Harry Potter though; poor souls.

* * *

**Breakfast the next morning went smoothly, with no food being spilt over anyone. No one noticed the gleeful looks that George, Harry and Ginny were sending each other, as they thought about the day ahead of them. Ginny had described her plan in great detail; it was almost hard to believe that she had only just come up with it. All three played up to their part, trying to make sure that nobody would see that they were planning many things; things that they doubted they would have been able to get permission to do, had they asked. They needn't have bothered acting.

As it seemed, Fred's mood hadn't differed from the previous night, and was arguing with Ron. This wasn't a strange sight, as the twins did tend to annoy Ron a lot, from the countless pranks to the snide remarks, but for once, Fred wasn't joking.

"Bloody hell!" Fred was exclaiming, obviously annoyed.

"Well, it's your fault," Ron muttered back, ever the creative one.

Ginny took no notice in the spat, and soon got lost in her own world, whilst George listened for a while behind the door. He was eager to jump out and defend his twin, and probably would have, despite Ginny telling him firmly that he couldn't, that she wanted to see how Hermione would react first.

"Honestly, Ronald," Hermione scolded, confirming Ginny's thoughts. "It's not his fault, how was he to know that you wanted to sit there? You should have looked before sitting down, for Merlin's sake!"

Ginny cast a fleeting glance in their direction. From what she had heard so far, it sounded like Fred had placed a bit of billywig-sting-slime on the chair, and Ron had had the misfortune of sitting on it by mistake. She couldn't hide her grin as Hermione defended Fred though; they really were too cute. She nodded to George, motioning for him to come in though, and struck up a conversation about quidditch with Harry. She half-listened as the argument turned into a 'Ron versus Hermione and the twins', affair. She didn't dwell on it though, and soon after finishing breakfast, dragged Harry outside, hoping to set up her plan earlier than expected.

"Outside, then?" Harry asked, even though he knew the answer was yes. He smiled, and the two left, leaving the other three bickering inside.

* * *

Bill sat quietly as he listened to his little brother drone on and on. Thankfully, years of experience had long taught him better than to interrupt Ron when he was in the middle of his rants. It was almost as dangerous as telling Hermione that holidays were for fun, not studying. He nodded occasionally, mainly to show that he was listening, and also because he was trying to keep himself awake.

"Just prank him back then," Bill finally interrupted, stopping Ron in mid-sentence. Ron glanced curiously up at him for a moment, with a strange look over-taking his face. The suggestion surprised him, he wasn't good at pranking, and openly admitted it.

"How?" Even though the chances of him being able to successfully prank one of Hogwarts best pranksters since the Marauders were slim, he was still interested in what Bill's ideas were. "I'm under-age, I can't even use magic."

"I can though," Bill said thoughtfully. "Why don't we have a game of quidditch after lunch?"

"What's that got to with it?"

Bill sighed. "Just go ask the others. If so, I might help you out."

The look in Bill's eyes was enough to make Ron stop and wonder what he was up to, but even so, he didn't argue and left the room hurriedly, in search of his siblings. While Ginny and Harry were ecstatic at the thought, he couldn't help but wonder what Bill had in mind.

* * *

George sauntered up to his little sister, raising his eyebrows in question. Knowing that he was waiting for a firm nod, she happily obliged.

"Quidditch?" George asked. "That's dangerous, Gin. I don't think Hermione's that keen to learn how to fly. She won't stay on the broom that long."

"Don't be stupid," she scoffed at him. "I said no, of course. We're going to play tomorrow, though."

George cocked his head to the side, contemplating the plan once more. So many things could go wrong, that he knew. But wouldn't it be worth it? He shook all negative thoughts from his mind, and focused on the positive. The plan would work. They had gone over it so many times, how could it not? Fred would have to be a complete idiot to screw it up. They were setting up the perfect scene for Hermione and Fred to confess their love for each other, or whatever else they wanted to confess. Yes, George decided, the plan was golden.

* * *

"You want to teach me how to fly?" Hermione asked curiously.

Ginny nodded, beaming at her. She was finally putting her plan into action. "You said yesterday that you wanted to learn how to fly. This is the perfect opportunity. Harry said he'd help. Ron is still sulking, but I'm sure the twins will be keen."

Hermione still looked unsure. She had been planning on finishing the last of her homework, and although the prospect of learning how to fly and spending time with Fred was tempting, she didn't want to make a fool out of herself in front of everyone. Ginny tapped her fingers on the table impatiently.

"Look I know you want to. So after lunch you are going to get your butt out there and onto the broom, whether you like it or not," she told her sternly. With that she stormed from the room, slamming the door shut behind her, and leaving Hermione to stare at the spot she had been standing in, wondering why she ever bothered arguing with Ginny.

After lunch Harry, Fred and George shouldered their brooms, and with the girls following them they made their way out to one of the Weasley's large paddocks. George had easily convinced Fred to come along. In fact, it was laughable how eager he was. The guy was totally smitten for Hermione, and now that he knew that she felt the same, he was going to make sure they were together. He, Ginny and Harry had spent the time before lunch working out the finer details of the plan. They had to make sure that nothing went wrong. If they screwed up there might not be a second chance. The main problem they had was a way for them to disappear. They needed the love birds left alone for their plan to work. Luckily, Harry had an idea.

They were wandering up the hill that lead to one of the larger paddocks. Fred and Harry were deep in conversation and Hermione eyes were watching her feet as she walked. Ginny was keeping to the back, watching the people roaming up front. George, who was closest to her, caught her eye. He winked, telling her it was time. She glanced around, making sure no one was watching. None of them had turned to look at her. She swallowed and stopped walking. Taking one more fleeting glance forwards, she knew she could wait no longer to put her part of the plan into action. Making a high pitch girly scream, she threw herself to the ground.

Four heads swivelled around to see her lying on the ground, moaning and clutching her ankle. They all rushed forwards, crowding the younger girl.

"Gin, what happened?" Fred asked, bending down beside her.

"I fell," she said, wincing in fake pain. "My ankle hurts, I think I twisted it."

He looked at her ankle, not sure what to think. Ginny wasn't one for hurting herself, but he could see no reason for her to be faking.

"Maybe we should take you inside so Mrs Weasley can fix it," Harry suggested.

Hermione, who was standing next to him, nodded in agreement. "Can you walk?" she asked worriedly.

Ginny pushed down on her foot, testing her wait against it. She squealed in pain.

"I guess that would be a no," Harry said. He bent down, putting one arm behind her neck and the other under her knees, he scooped her up off the ground. She rested her head against his shoulder, enjoying the closeness.

"Oii Potter, you look a bit too comfortable there," George said, making Harry blush scarlet. He mumbled something about going inside, before starting to go back down the hill.

"You two stay here," George said to his brother and his brother's future girlfriend. He started to follow the pair that were walking down the hill. "I'll make sure Potter doesn't try anything funny with my sister." He ran after them before anyone could protest. He puffed as he caught up with them.

"Nice acting Gin, you really looked like you hurt yourself."

Ginny pulled a face. "That's because I have. I hit a bloody rock when I fell."

* * *

Back up the hill Hermione and Fred were standing in an awkward silence.

"Should we go on?" Hermione asked apprehensively. Fred glanced back down the hill. He had a funny feeling that this was all planed. He wasn't sure whether to be annoyed or thankful. Looking back and Hermione's anxious face he forgot that he should be angry. He'd beat up his siblings later. He wasn't going to ruin the perfect opportunity that they had set for him.

"Let's go," he said and started up the rest of the hill.

They made it to the top of the hill. Fred took his broom in his hands, and begun showing Hermione how to grip it. He couldn't help but notice that she was looking more and more sick. He took her hands in his and placed them on the broom. If he had his way he would have stayed there forever and treasured the moment, but he let go of her hands and stood back.

"You ready to fly?" he asked her. She said nothing and refused to catch his eye. "You okay?"

Hermione looked up at him, her brown eyes wide.

"Fred," she whispered. "I'm scared." The last two words were so soft he could barely hear them. Carefully he took a step forward so the bodies nearly touched. He lifted a hand and placed it on her shoulder. Her eyes moved to look at his hand.

"'Mione you are going to be fine. Look at me," he gently guided her head so she was looking at her. "I promise you, I won't let anything happen to you."

Slowly Hermione took the broom from him, their hands brushing for barely a second. Taking a deep breath she mounted the broom. Fred stood beside her as she did so, watching every slight move she made. Hermione stood frozen in the same position, her hands holding onto the handle of the broom tightly.

"I can't," she whimpered.

"Yes you can. Count to three, and push off."

Hermione shook her head.

"Come on, think of what Ron would say if you don't do it."

Hermione sucked in air between her teeth.

"One," she said, looking more determined then she had before. "Two." There was a pause, before she yelled the last number. "Three!"

She pushed off from the ground, her hair streaming back behind her. She whizzed upwards, screaming as she did so. She pulled at the brooms handle so it slowed down. She hovered five metres above the ground.

"I'm flying!" she yelled down at Fred, grinning ear to ear. She could hear him yelling encouragement below her. She bravely lifted one hand and waved at him. She laughed as he told her to put both hands back on the handle. It seemed so easy now that she was off the ground. She couldn't really see what she had been so scared about. She rose higher into the air, loving the feeling of the air whipping against her face.

Just as she was about to start coming back down she felt the brooms handle turn sharply to the left. Odd, she thought. She hadn't meant to do that. Without any warning the broom started to vibrate. Hermione shrieked. The only time she had ever seen a broom do something like this was back in first year when Quirell was cursing Harry's broom. That had been part of the reason she had been afraid to learn to fly. Panicking, she started to scream louder. She didn't know what to do. She had lost all control of the broom. It started spinning in circles, faster and faster.

A thought suddenly popped into her mind. What if this was some big prank? What if someone had purposely cursed the broom. It had to be someone of age. That crossed out most of the people in the house. There was only one possible solution. The twins. They were of age, and would find Hermione's terror hilarious. Fred had been so nice before. She was actually beginning to think he liked her back. But, of course, he was just giving her a false sense of security. She growled; she was going to kill them when she got back to ground. If she got back to ground, that is.

The broom started to do loops through the air. Hermione held onto the handle for dear life. She was never going on a broom again; it wasn't worth it. She was starting to doubt she would make it back to the ground in one piece. Her hands started to slip from the wood, desperately she tried to regain her grip. She failed and her fingers slipped, her legs uncurling themselves as she fell to the ground.

She hadn't felt it but the broom must have lowered itself. She only fell about 6 feet. Her shoulder took the force of the fall. After her shoulder her body followed, falling into a weak pile of limbs on the ground. As she slowly rolled onto her back, she could feel her shoulder already beginning to ache. She used a few choice swear words as the pain shot through her as she moved. She grunted as she saw Fred running towards her. He had a lot of nerve even talking to her.

"Hermione, are you okay?" he asked kneeling down beside her. She hadn't noticed she was crying until he attempted to wipe away one of her tears. She slapped his hand away. He couldn't pretend to care. Not after what he had just done. He had promised her everything would be okay.

"Bastard!" she yelled at him, before painfully pushing herself to her feet and start running towards the house.

* * *

"Can you see anything?" Ginny asked from her seat at the kitchen table, her leg propped up on the table. George had suggested he fix her ankle, but both she and Harry had thought it would be better to just leave it for now.

"No, for the hundredth time, I can't see anything," George replied. He and Harry had been standing at the window trying to get a look up the hill. Sadly it was near impossible to see up there.

"We'll just have to wait and see," Harry said plopping himself down next to Ginny.

She frowned, she was more impatient then he was. "I just want to know what happened," she said.

Harry sighed, patting her shoulder sympathetically. "We'll find out soon enough."

At that moment Ron and Bill come into the room, laughing and talking.

"What are you two giggling about?" Ginny asked. Bill sat down beside her and poked her ankle. She flinched at his touch.

"What happened you?" he pulled at his wand and, muttering and incantation, tapped her ankle. She flexed her foot, finding no pain anymore.

"I asked you first," she said.

"I was helping Ron get back at Fred," he told her, shrugging.

"What did you do?" Harry asked curiously.

Ron answered him, "He cursed his broom so he would go for a bit of a joy ride."  

"HE WHAT!" three voices screamed at once. Ron jumped slightly and Bill looked shocked at their reactions.

"William Arthur Weasley, you better tell me that you have not already done this," Ginny snarled, jumping from her chair she pointed a finger at his chest. Bill took a step backwards knocking into a chair.

"Calm down Gin, I think Fred can handle it."

"It's not him we're worried about," George said, watching worriedly as the front door flew open.

Hermione burst into the kitchen, looking as if she was ready to murder someone. Fred followed her into the room, he looked understandably scared.

"Hermione, I'm sorry..."

She cut him of mid sentence. "Sorry doesn't make a difference. I trusted you! You promised me everything was going to be okay!" she screamed at him. The whole room had gone silent and were watching the scene play out in front of them.

"How was I supposed to know that was going to happen?" he yelled right back at her.

Hermione snorted in disgust. "A broom is a powerful magical object. It doesn't go haywire by itself. Someone must have cursed it. How could you do that? You knew how scared I was."

The fact that she thought he had done it finally hit Fred. He nearly screamed allowed. How could she think that? He would never do something like that to her.

"I didn't do it," he said his voice shaking. "It wasn't my fault."

"I don't believe you!" Tears were streaking her face. "How could you do this? I hate you!" She stormed from the room, leaving Fred standing there looking heartbroken.

"Don't say that," he whimpered quietly, moments later.

"Fred..." George started, but Fred stopped him, turning to look at him, his face full of sorrow.

"Not now," he muttered. Everyone watched as he shuffled out of the room.

"Okay, what don't we know?" Bill asked, looking at the spot were Hermione and Fred had been fighting seconds before. Ginny sighed. It was his fault that their plan had failed, but despite that she started to tell him about the events of the past two days.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **

**Kimberley: Eh. I just edited the first two chapters for any spelling mistakes. If you see any in any chapters, now or later, please don't hesitate to tell me! Not having my work polished annoys me to no end :( And I can't believe I spelt my own username wrong before xD All well. At least that bit is fixed now. By the way, we probably won't respond to many reviews, due to me boarding, but you might get some responses in author's notes every now and again.**

**Rachel: Sorry for the wait! We had camp; seriously busy. On another note, thank you so much to our reviewers! They really make our day. We've had an amazing response, and that's great! We'll try write super quickly to get the next chapter up much sooner (: Love you all!**

**x - Love RGBTheDuckie & xakemii **


	4. More Pain

**Disclaimer: Written by RGBTheDuckie and xakemii, neither of whom own Harry Potter.**

**Author's Note: Sorry for the delay! I, Kimberley, fully take the blame for that.

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The following day was rather awkward. Hermione was quieter than usual, and kept herself busy by reading over some of the books she had bought previously. Ginny's attempts to coax her out of the room when it wasn't meal times were in vain, and Hermione stayed in the bedroom in silence.

George on the other hand, and having problems keeping Fred quiet. After many hours of pressing Ginny for information with no results, Fred had turned to his twin, his eyes narrowing as George told his side of the story.

"It wasn't planned," George lied profusely. "We weren't meant to leave you two alone."

Fred still seemed sceptical as George said this, but relaxed after a while, realizing that he would have no reason to lie to him. Instead of questioning further, Fred began to plan his revenge.

"Bill cursed the broom, didn't he?" Fred asked.

George nodded uncertainly. A certain glint in his brother's eyes told him that he would do anything to get him back. Whether it was a small, but wonderful, prank, or something that was likely to get him sent off to Azkaban.

"This, my dear twin," Fred glanced over to the cauldron that was still settling from the beforehand. "Calls for a prank."

George was silent as he was told the plan. He would occasionally look over to the green liquid, imagining Bill's reaction. The image in his mind was enough to convince him, and he nodded slowly, beginning to pitch in his thoughts very now and again.

* * *

Ginny was livid when she found out.

"George," she moaned. "We have to concentrate on getting them together," she stressed the last word. "I doubt another prank from Fred is going to enlighten Hermione's mood at all."

"It wasn't Fred though," George raised his eyebrows, failing to see the issue.

"But she thinks it was."

Harry nodded, seeing where Ginny was coming from. She was right. Another prank was not something they needed right now. However, it would probably lighten the mood, considering how miserable everyone seemed to be.

Bill, after hearing the whole story, had repeated what Harry's first thoughts were when he first found out, those being, "Why don't you just tell them?" Even after the extremely annoying task of explaining why that simply would not work, he still believed that it would be the best idea, and even offered to be the one to tell them. Harry, Ginny and George, explained once more, before giving up and asking him just to leave, and not do anything in the mean time. He apologized, before scuttling out of the room, though was muttering under his breath.

Ron hadn't been quite so understanding as Bill, which was really saying something.

"Fred shouldn't have put that bloody stuff on the seat," he insisted, not wanting to take the blame on what had happened.

"You shouldn't have sat on it," Ginny snapped back. "Are you going to help, or not?" She didn't really expect him to say yes. Everyone knew that he had had a thing for a couple of years back, and it wasn't likely that he would be too happy about his brother and his best friend getting together. He was bad enough about the mere thought of Ginny fancying Harry, after all. However, much to everyone's surprise, Ron nodded.

"Bloody hell," Ron muttered, running his fingers through his hair. "I was getting sick of them too. Did you see them at dinner?"

Ginny quirked her eyebrows at his girly remark, but let it slide.

The idea of Fred planning on pranking Bill was not a good idea. Not in Ginny or Harry's mind, anyway. Harry was deep in thought as Ron tried to talk George out of it. Ron claimed that Bill would "Bloody kill him," if the prank went through.

"He'll know something's up if I say no," George said. "I've already said yes."

Ginny let her head fall into her hands helplessly. For once, George was making sense. The prank would have to go through.

"Fine," she relented. "Just make sure it doesn't backfire."

"Does it ever?" George replied, flashing her a Cheshire cat grin.

"You don't want me to answer that."

* * *

Hermione paced around the room, questions running through her mind. Why would Fred do that to her? Was he really that cruel? She didn't think he was, but it was true that he would do almost anything for a good joke. She cried out in frustration, flinging her back on to the bed once more. He had seemed so sincere, but looking back, she couldn't imagine why she had believed him. He was Fred Weasley, one Hogwarts biggest pranksters, why would he take her seriously?

"Hermione?" Harry called tentatively from the doorway. Harry wasn't one to be scared easily, but Hermione in a temper was enough to make anyone cower.

"Oh, Harry," Hermione sighed.

He took this as a good sign, and entered the room, shutting the door quietly behind him. It had been Ginny's idea to send Harry up. The four had come to the conclusion that nothing was going to happen until Hermione was actually functioning again, and Fred's prank had gone through. Because Ginny was getting tired of being the one trying to Hermione to talk, she had sent Harry up, hoping that he would have better luck.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked, sitting down beside her.

Hermione was silent, considering her options. She didn't like lying to Harry, and he always seemed pretty good at figuring at when she was. However, desperate times called for desperate measures, and the last thing she needed was for Harry to find out about her feelings for Fred.

"Just shaken," she muttered. She looked up suddenly, as if a replay of the event had just gone through her mind. "You weren't in on the prank, were you?"

Harry answered quickly, "No!" _Not that prank, anyway_, he thought to himself. He waited a moment, wondering whether or not she would believe him. She nodded slowly, and Harry let out a silent sigh of relief. Ginny would never forgive him if he messed this whole crazy scheme up. Despite the fact that the idea of Hermione learning how to ride a broom had failed, he had a nagging feeling that Ginny wasn't going to give up that easily, and neither was George.

"Why would he do that?" Hermione said through clenched teeth, pacing around the room once more. "It was a horrid idea of a prank."

"I don't know."

"Oh, I could kill him!"

"Hermione!" Harry exclaimed.

"Sorry," she bit her lip apologetically. "It's just, I was so scared, Harry."

"I know, I know," Harry wrapped his arm around her comfortingly, stroking her hair as she rested her head on his shoulder. He could tell that she was about to cry. It was one of the moments that they had shared many times before. Usually it would be Hermione comforting Harry, but in all honesty, Harry was glad in the turn of the tables; pleased that he could show real friendship towards her.

She sobbed for a while as Harry held her, occasionally murmuring a few words of thanks, before collapsing into tears again. She was pleased that it had been Harry to come. Even though she guessed that this had been Ginny's idea, she was grateful all the same.

"Thanks, Harry," Hermione stammered, wiping a few stray tears from her eyes.

"No problem." He moved to stand up, but instead hugged her quickly. Flashing her a final smile of sympathy, he left the room, ready to report to Ginny.

Hermione hugged her knees to her chest as Harry left the room. She felt better now. Whoever had come up with the saying 'Crying does you no good,' obviously weren't very bright. She sat on the bed, contemplating what to do. She could go down to eat; after all, she was rather hungry. But what if Fred was there? That would be awkward. Anyway, she didn't want people's sympathy. There was always going outside for a walk. To clear her mind, perhaps. Yes, she decided. A walk it is. Pulling on a warm jersey, she made for the outdoors.

"Hermione!" Ginny pulled at her arm as she walked through the living room, stopping her mid-stride. Hermione looked at her expectantly, willing her to continue quickly. "We promised Ron a game of quidditch, did you want to watch?"

Hermione cast a glance over the people in the room. Ron and Harry were deep in conversation, with Bill standing nearby, listening to the two, though not joining in the conversation.

"Are the twins playing?" Hermione asked the first question that popped into her mind, and Ginny nodded understandingly.

"George has just gone to ask –"

"No!" George came stumbling down the stairs. "You are blessed with the better looking twin today," he said graciously bowing.

Hermione detected a hint of worry in his eyes, but shrugged it off. "Sure, I'll watch. See you outside." She turned around quickly, not seeing the triumphant gesture that Ginny made, or the look of pity that Bill directed at her back.

* * *

"So we'll play with three chasers, a keeper and a seeker," Bill said. "Best be more like a practise, I guess," he added, taking in the lack of players.

The others nodded in agreement, before sorting out who was to play where. They decided to make it more fun than usual, and mix up the positions a little bit. Ginny was sent to play keeper, and Ron, though reluctant at first, was named seeker. The others were to play as chasers.

Hermione had a book in her lap, watching happily from the grass below. She could understand the basic idea of quidditch, and enjoyed to watch, despite the fact that she thought very little of the game itself. She just couldn't see a point in the game. Either way, she would look up from her book occasionally, usually due to scream from above, and watch as the quaffle was passed between the boys and Ginny.

"Wait!" Ginny suddenly soared through the air, leaving the posts unguarded, towards George. "Why's he here?"

Hermione followed the pointed finger, wondering what was the meaning of the stop. She hadn't known the Weasley's to stop a game of quidditch for much, and was intrigued. She let an involuntary groan as she saw him. Fred was walking towards the field, with his broom slung around his shoulder. Hermione snapped her book shut, standing briskly.

"Hermione…" Harry called, coming down to the ground with Ginny. He placed a hand on her shoulder before whispering, "Just stay awhile."

She glared at him, but sat back down anyway. It wasn't like she'd have to talk to him anyway. Fred cast a quick glance over to her, but she kept her head hung low, not daring to make eye contact.

"Brother, come to play?" George broke the tension with a yell.

"Ah, yes," Fred called back, grinning. "Indeed."

"Great," Ginny plopped down on the ground next to Hermione. "You go keeper, I hate it."

Fred laughed whole-heartedly, before swinging his legs over his broom and joining the others in the air. Hermione stayed below with Ginny, but didn't mind glaring at him as he disappeared into the air to defend the golden posts. Ginny sat down on the grass, and Hermione, though hesitant, soon joined her.

"You said he wasn't coming," Hermione hissed. All she wanted was to run as fast as she could back to the Burrow, but Ginny as was faster and stronger, she doubted that she would get very far. She looked upwards to where the boys were flying around. They were showing off, whom they were trying to impress she wasn't sure, as only her and Ginny were watching. She watched as Bill threw the ball towards the goal. It was a good throw, something she would never be able to achieve. There was no chance Fred was going to be able to stop it, and yet somehow he managed to lunge several metres, keeping hold of the broom that was keeping him in the air. Reaching outwards he just managed to get a finger on the ball, blocking it from the goal. She openly admitted she didn't know much about quidditch, but that was a good save and she knew it.

"How was I supposed to know he'd change his mind?" Ginny said, snapping Hermione from her thoughts. "But by the looks of things you don't exactly mind, the silly smile on your face says a lot."

Quickly Hermione changed her expression. She frowned at Ginny. She wasn't going to let her put words into her mouth. She didn't like Fred anymore. He was the jerk who'd cursed his broom and then given it to her to ride on. Nothing was going to change her mind. She turned back to watch the game, ignoring Ginny's smirk. Harry was doing some sort of difficult manoeuvre in the air. She watched, mildly impressed.

"Show off!" Ginny yelled teasingly. Harry turned to look at the two girls sitting on the ground. He blushed slightly, but smiled down at them. Just as he lifted his hand to wave at them Ginny spotted the large red ball coming up behind him. She opened her mouth to scream a warning, but she was too slow. The quaffle hit him square in the back of the head. The ball wasn't that hard and the impact wouldn't have made too much damage, but Harry had been caught off guard. The sudden force of the ball made him lose balance, and having one hand off the broom didn't help. He flew forward off the front of the broom, only just managing to hold on with the one hand that was still holding it. She watched in terror as he dangled underneath the broom. His grip on the broom slipped and he fell downwards.

Both girls were screaming. People in the next town over were probably wondering who was being murdered. They hadn't noticed Ron coming up underneath Harry, before he fell. He had been meaning to get Harry onto his broom and wasn't prepared for a sudden falling body. A grunt of dismay came from his mouth, as he dropped lightly to the side, leaving the air between Harry and the ground open. A strangled yell escaped from Hermione, and she jumped up, rushing to where Harry's limp body lay. Ginny was hot on her hells, and those that had been in the air had now joined her on the ground.

"Harry..." Hermione fell on her knees next to him, gingerly touching his shoulder. "Does it hurt?"

"He fell from the sky, Hermione," Fred snapped. "Of course it hurts!"

"I wasn't asking you."

The two glared at each other for a moment, before Hermione ripped her gaze away from him, focusing on Harry once more, who was now moaning slightly.

"Harry, are you okay?" Ginny asked worriedly, stopping her pacing to sit down beside him. Another moan slipped from his lips, causing Ginny to go into hysterics. "Bill! Help him, you idiot, help him!"

"I would, if I knew what was wrong," Bill said bluntly. He had seen his fair share in quidditch accidents, and didn't seem to phased.

"Shoulder..." Harry muttered, moving his hand to touch the shoulder that Hermione had had her hand on a few moments ago. "Ouch," he winced at the touch, and began to slowly prop himself back up. Hermione was quick to help him, letting him rest against her whenever a shot of pain zapped through his body.

Fred watched in silence as Harry's head landed in Hermione's lap, feeling himself flush red. Bill was in trouble. Oh yes, he was in big trouble.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **

**Kimberley: I'm sorry for the delay :( Most definitely my fault. But I promise to write super speedily next time?**

**Rachel: Yes. All her fault. /glares**

**Kimberley: ANYWAY. Changed the summary, and a massive thanks to all our reviewers, readers and alerters.**

**Rachel: We hope you enjoyed (:**


	5. Brotherly Love

**Disclaimer: This story is written by the amazing xakemii and RGBTheDuckie. Neither of us owns Harry Potter or any of the characters, poor us.

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Somehow, with Harry leaning heavily on Hermione, they made it back to the Burrow. Hermione gently lowered Harry into the chair. He didn't say a word, but his teeth were tightly clenched together. She was sure he was just trying to be brave. She stood in front of him and looked down at him. Normally she would have fixed him instantly, but she was out of school. No magic allowed.

"Bill, can you do something now?" she asked, turning to look at the older Weasley brother. He nodded and walked over to the chair. He looked at Harry's shoulder, poking it in different spots. Seeing the looks of pain crossing his face, Hermione wanted to stop him, but she resisted and stood back, watching in silence.

"I think something is broken," Bill murmured.

Ginny had been quite right until that moment. She was too worried to speak, but when he said this she exploded, "Who the hell threw the bloody quaffle?" she yelled. No one answered her for a moment.

"It was me," Fred suddenly answered quietly, breaking the silence. Hermione turned and glared at him again. Apparently hurting her wasn't enough, he had to go and try and kill. Fred noticed her glare and hung his head. He wasn't helping his cause; injuring one of her best friends.

"Wasn't his fault," Harry muttered. Everyone turned to look at him. He had been staring at his toes but he lifted his head and looked at the people in the room. "It was an accident." He looked directly at Hermione as he said this.

"Can everyone just shut up?" Bill exclaimed, furiously waving his wand in the air. "I don't want to screw this up." Everyone fell silent immediately. He muttered a thank you before turning back to Harry. He pulled out his wand, and pointed it at him. He paused, he was no were near as good as his mother when it come to this type of magic. He could do basic healing spells, but broken bones he was unsure about. He looked over at his sister. He knew she wouldn't take no for an answer. Everyone knew about her crush for Harry, apart from Harry. Taking a deep breath, he muttered the words he had heard his mother use many times before.

"Did it work?" Ron asked. Bill didn't answer as he wasn't sure himself. Harry moved he shoulder. Much to Bill's relief, he smiled.

"A little stiff, but apart from that I'm good."

Hermione, who had been holding her breath while he did the spell, breathed again. She rushed over to him and flung her arms around his shoulders. "One day you'll play a game of quidditch, without nearly killing yourself."

Harry laughed. "Hermione, where is the fun in that?"

She hit him playfully on the head. Neither of them had noticed Fred slip from the room. George had though, and inconspicuously followed him.

George walked into the room he and Fred shared to find his brother pacing the room. He didn't bother looking up when he entered the room, but he must have noticed, as he started talking to him starting talking to him almost immediately.

"What does he have that I don't have?" He asked. George was bewildered, wondering who he was talking about. Seeing his brothers puzzled face Fred stopped pacing. "Harry!" he yelled.

George looked at him, he still didn't know where he was going with this.

"Um, a funky shaped scar on his head? Uncontrollable hair? An inability to grow?" Fred threw a pillow at him, which he dodged skillfully.

"Not funny," he muttered, clearly annoyed. He let out a cry of anger and punched the wall he was standing next to. "What does she see in him?"

It all finally clicked into place. Fred thought Hermione had a thing for Harry. George could laugh at the thought. Harry and Hermione were friends. They were close, which was understandable after what they had gone through, but they were nothing other than friends. George told him this, but he simply grunted.

"Hermione and Harry have a sort of brother-sister relationship. They're protective of each other. How would you feel if Ginny fell from the sky?" George tried once more, hoping that this time his twin would see what he meant.

Fred glared at him, but nodded showing he understood.

* * *

Hermione sat on her bed staring at the wall. Emotions were flowing through her and she didn't know which one to act on first. She was still furious at Fred, but the feelings she had had for him before were still around. And no matter how much she tried to convince herself that she loathed him, there was always something in the back of her mind that told her that she fancied him, just the same as before.

She pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them tightly. She didn't know what to do. Part of her wanted to stay mad at him, to yell and scream. He had hurt her, not just physically. She wasn't sure if she could ever trust him again. But yet there was another part of her, a considerably smaller part, which wanted to forget about everything. To run into his arms and tell him she was sorry, that she forgave him for what he did. Currently she was doing neither. She was hiding and trying to ignore her conscience, which was telling her that she needed to go face her problems.

There was a knocking at the door. Hermione looked up to see Bill coming into the room. It wasn't exactly who she had expected to see. She had been thinking it would be Ginny or even Harry, coming to get her out of the room. Bill walked across and sat down next to her.

"I cursed the broom," he said bluntly. Hermione stared at him.

"You don't have to take the blame for Fred," she told him. He shook his head. He had decided, after Ginny yelling at him, that he needed to straighten this out. It was partly his fault and he was going to fix it.

"No, it really was me. Ron asked me to help him get back at Fred. I thought cursing his broom would be funny; I swear I didn't know you were going to be riding it. I'm so sorry, Hermione."

She didn't say anything, just sat there staring at the wall again. Finally she spoke, "Oh."

Bill frowned. He had been hoping for a reply with more than one syllable, but then, it was miracle she was speaking at all.

"Look, I know you like Fred. I don't want my stupid mistake to be the reason you don't get together."

Hermione didn't dwell on the fact that he somehow knew her biggest secret; the one she'd only told one person.

"It's not just that. He acted so arrogant. He must have known he didn't do it, but he didn't come and try to make things right. And he nearly killed Harry. I'm sorry, Bill, but I can't forgive him straight away," she paused and sighed deeply. Even if she did forgive him there was one flaw. "But he doesn't feel the same way about me, so it doesn't matter." A tear slipped down her check, she whipped it away instantly, but not before Bill saw it. He couldn't stand seeing her sad. And seeing Fred as moody as he was lately just wasn't normal. He didn't care what the others had said. He was going to just tell Hermione, tell her truth.

"Hermione, Fred -" He was cut off by the door flying open. Ginny stood in the doorway.

"Don't mind me, I was just coming to get something." She flounced over to her trunk and started riffling through it.

Hermione looked at Bill expectantly, "You were saying something about Fred?"

Ginny looked up, her eyes catching Bill's. She had guessed what he was going to tell her. She shook her head violently, a desperate attempt to stop Bill from saying it. Bill knew he couldn't tell her now. Ginny would kill him. He looked back to Hermione and forced a smile.

"Um, nothing," he muttered, before scuttling out of the room

Hermione glared as he left the room. She was mad at Ginny, for interrupting, and mad at Bill, for just leaving her hanging like that. She sighed, sitting down on the bed once more. Was Bill really telling the truth? Had it been Bill to curse the broom, or was he just covering up for his brother? It would make sense, in an unusual way.

"I didn't tell him," Ginny said suddenly, breaking her train of thought. "He found out for himself."

Hermione looked over to her friend in wonder for a moment, before slowly nodding her head and going back to her original thoughts. Did she like Fred or not? The question was slowly eating her away. A couple of days ago she would have said yes on the spot. What wasn't to like? He wasn't hard to look at, quite the opposite, really. Plus he was funny, and could make her laugh almost always. Of course, he was bound to have trouble now, that she was so mad it him. Why hadn't he just told her that it wasn't him? Hermione sighed. Right. He had told her that. She just hadn't believed him. Hermione groaned inwardly. No wonder why he had been so cold to her. She gasped in realization. What had she done? She had told him she hated him! Hermione could have hit herself. Why was she stupid? She had single handedly ruined her chances. All by herself. Fred thought she hated him. And it was her fault. Damn.

"Is Harry okay?" Hermione asked Ginny, hoping to distract herself from Fred. She would have done anything to distract herself from Fred.

"He's fine," she replied shortly. "What did Bill talk about?"

"He said he cursed the broom," Hermione muttered, annoyed that the conversation had ended up exactly where she had been hoping to avoid.

"Well, it wasn't Fred," Ginny gave a short laugh, as if it had been obvious the whole time, which led to Hermione glaring at her into silence. "Hermione..." Ginny started again, feeling sympathetic for her friend. "I don't know, but I don't think that screaming _I hate you_, to the person you fancy is really giving them the right idea."

"Oh, don't," Hermione scowled. She was, by now, in a particularly bad mood. "How was I meant to know Fred was telling the truth?"

"Because he told you?"

"Would you have believed him?"

"Why didn't you?"

Hermione fumed, realizing that the conversation wasn't going anywhere. "Because!" She flung her arms up in the air, just to prove her point. "He's Fred Weasley, for Merlin's sake! Prankster extraordinaire, remember?" With that, she flopped down on the bed, hugging herself with her arms, biting her lip in order to stop herself from crying.

"I know," Ginny said softly, finally understanding what she was getting at. So that was why. Well, it certainly explained a lot. She sighed, wrapping her arms around her friend comfortingly. "But when have their pranks ever really hurt someone?" Even as she said this, she realized that she could have bitten her tongue. The prank that Fred was planning right, in hopes of getting back at Bill, was most likely going to hurt him. The least it would do was embarrass him, and if that was case, there was no doubt that it would be undoubtedly hilarious, though probably not for Bill. Ginny shuddered at the thought, before going back to Hermione, eyeing her carefully.

"I could name a few times," Hermione lied. She couldn't really. But there was bound to be a couple of times, wasn't there?

"You really like him, don't you?" Ginny asked suddenly, as if the news was completely new to her. It wasn't of course, but it seemed to be sinking in, deeper than ever now. Hermione and Fred. Fred and Hermione. Know-It-All. Prankster. The pieces just seemed to fit. "You really, really, like him!"

"Of course I do." Hermione looked down at her hands, appearing to have developed an intense fascination for her nails. "Yes, Ginny. I like him. A lot."

"Go after him then!"

"No," Hermione looked forlorn as she said this. "I've heard he's somewhat harsh when it comes to shooting girls down."

Shooting girls down? Oh. Ginny rolled her eyes mentally. She thought he'd say no. How typical. She sighed inwardly. They definitely had their work cut out for them.

* * *

George paced around the room anxiously. The two had been discussing the prank all the previous night, and both had the details down to scratch. George, despite his joking attitude at the time, had taken Ginny's threat rather seriously, when she had told him to make sure that the prank wouldn't backfire. He stayed true to his word, and had analyzed every single thing, making sure nothing would go wrong. The last thing George, or Ginny, wanted, was for Hermione to have another prank that wasn't meant for her to hit her instead.

"Ready, George?" Fred called from the other room.

George settled, glancing over the supplies for a moment, considering all the things they had gone over previously. "Yes!"

Everything was ready. Nothing would go wrong. Not unless something got in the way, of course. Or someone. George shuddered. Ginny would give him hell if it was Hermione, of all people.

"Fred?" George asked gingerly. "What happens if this backfires?"

Fred stopped what he was doing, turning to stare at his brother. Since when had he ever cared whether the prank would backfire or not? George sighed, waving his hand flippantly. "I mean, what will happen if it backfires on someone else?"

"Like who?" Fred asked. "It won't, anyway."

George was reluctant, but nodded his head anyway. Ginny would be screaming bloody murder if it went wrong. He couldn't afford for this to go wrong. His life depended on this to go right, no joke. He had seen Ginny's infamous Bat-Bogey hexes, and felt sorry for anyone on the receiving end of them, especially if it was himself. He sighed, focusing on the job in front of him. He had noticed that for once, Fred wasn't going to be the one making sure that the prank went right, it was almost as if though he didn't really mind it went wrong. So George decided that it was his job, and took it upon himself.

"Fred," George said clearly, only continuing when he had his undivided attention. "We're ready."

He smirked, standing and reaching out for the door, stepping out into the hallway. The two stalked into the living room grandly, causing Hermione, Ron, Harry and Ginny to eye them curiously. Ginny sighed inwardly, knowing that the prank was about to occur. Ron nodded slightly, acknowledging the two's entrance. Harry's smile had been replaced with a look of worry, and began a conversation to Hermione, to distract her. He needn't have worried though. She had barely glanced in the twin's direction. She chatted happily back to Harry, determined not to look at Fred in the eye. She felt she might collapse if she did.

Fred's eyes snapped to attention as the soft popping of Bill flooing in sounded. A devilish gleam flashed in his eyes as he smirked.

"Now to enjoy the show," he whispered to George, collapsing on to the couch.

* * *

**Author's Notes: Look at that! A new chapter already. **

**So there was something we were wondering about. When we mean we write this story together, we mean that one of us writes a few paragraphs or something, drops off, then lets the other continue. So yes, anyone care to guess who writes what? We'll probably ask again in later chapters, but we figured, why not? So yes. Read our other writing, if you want, and try to guess who wrote what part. RGBTheDuckie, is Rachel, by the way, and xakemii is Kimberley. Leave answers in reviews, PM us, whatever (: We're just curious. So, to cut everything down to size:**

**Challenge Time:**

**- If you want, can you please see whether you can tell the difference between Rachel (RGBTheDuckie) and Kimberley's (xakemii) writing. **

**- Get it (generally) right, and one, or both of us will write a drabble/one-shot for you, by request ;) Or something like that, haha. Rachel's also throwing in a virtual hug =P**

**Hint:**

**Rachel said we must give you a starting point. So looking back at the first chapter, Kimberley wrote everything to the first "line divider" and Rachel wrote the second part. There's your hint ;)**

**Review Responses:**

**Kerri**: Oh haha ^^ I blame the boarding house, and thanks doll :) And by the way, you are most certainly not included in the challenge, since you already know! But we'll write you something if you want (: - Love Kimberley xo

**Binka**: Firstly thanks for the review, I do a little happy dance every time I see we have gotten a new one. Anyways, about your comment. I don't actually know why they didn't tell Hermione, that's probably a bad thing to say since I'm the author =P. We wrote that in this chapter though, sorry we didn't have Hermione & Fred get together. Believe it or not we actually have a plan (all our friends reading this are probably dying of shock) and all will happen in due course. I can't say anything else because Kimberley might kill me for giving away the plot. Hope you enjoy reading our story! - Rachie xo

**NotSoSlightlyCrazy**: I love Fred too :( Too bad it's all fiction. Sigh. - Love Kimberley xo

**Everyone**: Thanks so much for your reviews! They mean loads to us (: - Love Rachel and Kimberley xo


	6. Revenge

**Disclaimer: Written by RGBTheDuckie and xakemii. We don't own Harry Potter )=**

**Okay this time the delay was my fault *hides behind the couch*. - Rachie xo**

**

* * *

**

Bill walked of the fireplace, brushing soot of his clothes. He strode into the room easily, flopping down on the couch next to George.

"Mum's out," he said. "I'm in charge." His eyes landed on George, almost daring him to contradict. Bill started reeling off rules from the top of his head, determined to make sure that his siblings did not screw this up for him. The last time he was in charge, well, that was a long time ago, due to an incident involving the twins, a 'harmless' prank, and nearly burning the Burrow down. Bill finished swiftly, eyeing the room carefully, making sure that they were all on the same page. A series of nods satisfied him, and he lifted his feet to rest on the coffee table.

"Whatever you say, Billy," George grinned, getting up from the couch. "Anyone want a butterbeer?"

A murmur of yeses sounded, on coming from Bill himself. George smirked to himself, before leaving the room and entering the kitchen. He had been insistent that he do this part of the prank. Imagine what would have happened if this screwed up. There would be no prank, period. On the other hand, Fred had other matters to deal with.

George finished pouring the drinks quickly, and peered over the counter to check whether anyone was coming. Seeing the coast was clear, he whipped his hand into his pocket, pulling out a small vial. He twisted the corkscrew off, lifting the vial into the light. He waited a moment, marveling at their fine work. The liquid inside was crystal clear, as well as completely odorless. Fred and him had spent hours perfecting it. It almost seemed like a shame for the first use of the potion to be wasted on something so stupid. Then again, they did need a tester. George sighed, finally tipping the contents into one of the glasses.

"Here we go," George exclaimed loudly, stepping into the lounge while clanking several glasses together. He handed a glass to each of the occupants of the room, excluding Bill. "Sorry," he said apologetically. "I must have left it in the kitchen."

He left the room, quickly retrieving the glass and handing it to his older brother. Bill grinned up at him, gulping down the drink eagerly. George waited for a moment, a grin sneaking onto his face. He bolted from the room quickly, heading towards the corridor.

"Ready," George smiled, slamming the door behind him as he entered the room. Hedwig had just fluttered back into the room through the window, causing his eyebrows to rise. "Hedwig?"

Fred shrugged, setting his quill back down on the desk. "Pig wouldn't have survived," he said grinning. He unattached the note from Hedwig's leg, quickly skimming over the note. "She's coming."

* * *

Ginny's eyes had narrowed as George left the room. Though he hadn't given her any more information, he had promised sincerely that he would try and give her a few hints to when the prank would be. He hadn't actually mentioned anything, but the subtle wink he had given her moments before was enough to put her on the edge. She glanced curiously around the room for a moment, wondering if he had left any other hints. She frowned, not catching sight of anything out of the ordinary.

She looked over at her Bill. He was mid-conversation with Harry, and seemed perfectly normal. He hadn't sprouted another head or suddenly turned green. She was starting to wonder if she had imagined the wink. She started talking to Hermione and didn't notice the twins reappear until George sat down on the arm of her chair.

"Ready for a show?" he asked her, nodding in the direction of Bill.

"I'm totally ready," she said, raising her eyebrows slightly. "But nothing has happened. I think you screwed up."

He gasped in mock horror. "Me, screw up? Never!" he laughed as she scowled at him. "Don't worry Gin. I'm sure it has worked, you just won't see what it does until our guest arrives."

She was baffled. What was the point in inviting someone else around.

"What guest?" she asked, but George ignored her. He was more interested in the figure that had appeared in the fire place. A witch, stunningly beautiful with silky blonde hair emerged.

"Ello?" Fleur Delacour said, stepping into the Weasley's living room. The whole room remained silent for a moment. That was until Bill broke the silence.

"What?" he said dumbly. Ginny groaned. Sometimes her brothers had absolutely no tact.

"Fleur, what are you doing here?" she asked.

Fleur turned to look at her. "I got an owl from Bill asking me to come over."

Ginny's mouth opened. But Fleur had already turned to Bill. He seemed nearly as shocked as Ginny. He sat there opening and shutting his mouth like a gold fish.

"But, why would I invite you over?"

Ginny gasped, that was harsh even for Bill. Fleur looked hurt, and Ginny could see tears welling up in her eyes.

"Fine zen I vill just go." She made to leave but Bill, obviously realizing his mistake, stood to stop her. Alas, he tripped over the edge of the coffee table. He fell forward, waving his hands in a desperate attempt to catch onto something. He succeeded, in grabbing onto the end of Fleur's dress. Ginny flinched as the ripping sound filled the room, followed by a high pitched shriek. Bill stammered out a line apologies but she wasn't listening. With a flick of her wand she reappeared her dress, before turning to glare at Bill.

"What were you theenking?" she screeched.

Ginny watched as Bill cowered before the her. It was an odd sight considering he was nearly a foot taller than her. Ginny frowned, it wasn't like him to act like this. He wasn't clumsy, in fact he was rather co-ordinated. A thought hit her. Whatever the twins had done, it somehow made Bill act like an idiot in front of Fleur. She looked up, and sure enough the pair had smirks plastered across their faces. George caught her eye, and gestured in the direction of Hermione. She was sitting watching the fight go on, with a somewhat amused look on her face. Ginny gave a curt nod, and started to walk over to her.

"We should go," Ginny whispered, tugging onto her hand desperately.

Hermione shook her head. "No, let's stay."

Ginny bit her lip anxiously. No, no, no! This was exactly what she had been trying to avoid when she had begged George to refuse to do the prank. If Hermione stayed, there was no telling what Bill might do to her. She had to get her to leave. No matter what. Ginny grimaced, thinking about what grief she was going to give George over the next few days later.

"I snogged Harry," Ginny lied, in hushed tones.

"What?" Hermione let out a surprised gasp, standing suddenly and gripping Ginny's shoulders excitedly. Ginny, meanwhile, was trying extremely hard to grin like a love struck teenager. She felt bad for lying, and knew there was going to be hell when she told Harry her cover story, but still, anything that got Hermione out of the room had to be a good thing, right? Hermione clutched Ginny's hand, pulling her into the kitchen. Ginny racked her brain quickly, trying desperately to think of some of the finer details, that she knew Hermione would be interested in. She spoke with a false eager tone in her voice, raising her voice an octave higher for good measure.

"It's alright," a soothing voice entered the room, followed by a few loud sobs, no doubt from Fleur. Hermione flinched as Fred entered the room, his arm slung around a weeping Fleur. She narrowed her eyes, and Ginny stopped in her babbles immediately. She could have groaned out loud. The point was to get Hermione out of the room. Away from Bill. Away from Fred. Away from almost everyone. But no, Fred just had to ruin things, didn't he? Ginny cocked her head her to the side, staring Fred down.

"It'll be alright," Fred murmured again, rubbing his hand in comforting circles on Fleur's back. He looked over Fleur's shoulder, catching sight of Hermione and Ginny, still leaning against the kitchen counter. "Gin, can you please - "

"We're leaving," Hermione interrupted, pulling Ginny out of the kitchen with such force that she had no time to react and left the room just as swiftly as Hermione. She gaped up at her friend for a few moments, but closed her mouth as Hermione yanked her into the lounge. "George!"

"Hermione?" George looked up from his conversation with Harry, an almost hesitant tone creeping into his voice.

"What did you do?"

"I've been wondering that myself," Bill muttered angrily, glaring at his younger brother. He made a step towards him, but was stopped as his toe slammed against the table leg. "Oh Merlin!" he yelled, his hand immediately going to grip his now bleeding toe. "George!"

"Alright, alright," George choked between laughs, his arms going up in mock surrender. "We might have spiked his butterbeer."

"We?" Hermione look of disapproval stayed, and she didn't bother to hide the tone of disgust in her voice. "You two are despicable."

"In a cute way, right?" George looked hopeful, but it didn't seem like he could see her even talking to the two of them again. She seemed truly appalled. Hermione shook her head in disbelief, before turning sharply on her heel and heading upstairs. George could still hear Fleur's wails from the kitchen, and occasionally his twin's voice attempting to soothe her. He looked at the spot where Hermione had just left. He then turned to Bill, who was sitting on the couch, his face in his hands. Harry and Ron sat silently, observing the scene. George turned to face his sister. Ginny's bottom lip was quivering, her eyes moist. She let out a strangled cry before sprinting after her best friend. What had he done?

* * *

Ginny didn't go back up to room that night. She knew Hermione would be enraged with the twin's antics, so she stayed clear. Instead, Ginny headed to Percy's old room; one place where she was sure no one would look for her. She flopped down on the bed, exhausted. She tried to imagine what the next day would be like, shuddering at the thought. Poor Fleur. Even under a potion, Ginny couldn't believe that Bill would have said that to her._ But, why would I invite you over?_ For the first time in her life, Ginny felt a wave of sympathy for the veela.

Oh Merlin. What was she going to tell Harry? Ginny sighed, choking back tears. She lay down, curling up into a tight ball. Maybe the next day wouldn't be so bad.

* * *

"What did you do?" Harry asked, breaking the silence in the room. Fred had locked himself in his room, and George went to seek refuge in his younger brother's room.

"We slipped a potion in the butterbeer," George muttered. The prank hadn't gone to plan, and he didn't feel like talking about it.

"What sort of potion?" Harry was getting impatient. He was with Hermione on this one, agreeing that the prank had been rather cruel on a number or levels. Still, the prank intrigued him, and he wanted answers.

"You put someone's DNA in the potion," he answered hesitantly. Even if it wasn't perfect, he still had to protect the secrets of the prank. "Give it to someone to drink and they'll make a git of themselves in front of them."

Harry contemplated the idea in silence. It was a good idea. If the circumstances had been different, he would have said the idea was ingenious. The circumstances, however, resulted in Harry not liking the idea. Not at all. He could still hear Fleur's cries ringing in his mind, and Hermione's hurt face when Fred was comforting Fleur. And Ginny. There was something about Ginny that made him think something was wrong. Very wrong.

* * *

"Guys?" Hermione tapped on the door tentatively. "Have you seen Ginny?"

The three boys stared up her, hastily pulling the covers over their shoulders.

"Um, no, sorry," Harry stuttered.

"How could _you_ not know?" she asked in disbelief.

"Why would I know?"

"You two are dating now," Hermione stated, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion. How was this news to him? "Right?"

Harry spluttered, choking on his on spit for a moment. "Sorry?"

"You..." Hermione trailed off. She looked at Ron and George, who had gone a bright shade of red. Ron looked like he wanted to punch something. His little sister. His best friend. It was hard enough to get used to the idea of his best friend and his older brother.

"Yes," Ginny whispered quietly from the door. "I told her this evening, Harry. When I took her out of the room." She pleaded silently with her eyes. Please, please, just play along, she begged.

"Yes," Harry consented, though unsure of what was really happening. What had Ginny done? "We are."

Hermione smiled, leaving the room. At least someone was getting their happily ever after.

* * *

Somewhere along the line, he had messed up. That, Fred was certain of. Ginny and Harry were on terrible terms, they had been ever since the previous night. They seemed to try act happy, almost couple like, whenever anyone came around, but there was still a sense of awkwardness between the pair. Bill wasn't talking to either of the twins, and neither was Fleur. In fact, Fleur hadn't even bothered to owl after leaving, even though she promised him that she would try make up with Bill. Hermione. Fred sighed involuntarily. Hermione hadn't so much looked at him. She thought he was horrible. First the thing with the broom, and now this stupid prank. Well, on the upside, at least this time he was actually responsible for the prank. She would never approve of his pranks. Maybe they just weren't meant to be.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **

**Rachel: **Sorry for the delay! Anyway, there you go. Thanks to all readers :)

**Kimberley:** About the Challenge, it's still going. However, just ignore it for this chapter, due to it being rather picky to whom wrote what :)

**Review Response:**

**angelinaryejindin1708: **Ah, sorry, but you are wrong. Very good try though (: Feel free to guess again ~


	7. Crackers

**Disclaimer: Written by Rachel and Kimberley. We don't own Harry Potter and co.

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Bill entered the kitchen, a bag slung over his shoulder. Ginny looked up from the bowl of porridge she had been poking moodily.

"Where are you going?" she demanded.

"France, I'm going to fix things with me and Fleur," he said, not seeming fazed by her rudeness, and grabbing a piece of toast from the stack in the centre of the table. "Have you seen Mum? I want to say goodbye before I left."

"She is in the laundry," she told him.

He thanked her and headed in that direction, but turned back at the last minute. "You need to find a way to get them together. I know I'm not on the best of terms with Fred at the moment, but it is obvious they are crazy about each other," Bill paused, thinking for a moment. A small smile crept onto his face as a thought came to him. "And you never know, Hermione might be a good influence on him."

Ginny sat pondering Bill's words. Every time she tried to help they just seemed to be getting further apart. Hermione and Fred weren't even on speaking terms now, and worse off than they were before. They were basically ignoring each other. Maybe they had been better off secretly fancying each other with no one the wiser. Ginny sighed. She had heard Hermione talking in her sleep. She still liked him. And every now and then Ginny would catch Fred looking at her. The look on his face was depressing. Why couldn't they get over their pettiness? It would make her life a whole lot easier. She couldn't just sit around watching them be miserable. She was going to have to do something soon.

Ginny heard the door open and close behind her. She glanced over her should to see Harry standing by the door. She almost choked on the mouthful she had been swallowing. Things between her and Harry had been awkward to say the least. She still couldn't have believe how stupid she had been. Telling Hermione that she had snogged Harry. Naturally, Hermione hadn't just forgotten about it. She had gone and confronted Harry before Ginny had had a chance to talk to him. He had played along, but Ginny had been mortified. She knew things would never be the same between them again.

Hurriedly, Ginny stood and made her way towards the door, not making eye contact with him. He caught her before she was even half way there.

"We need to talk," he said, grabbing her around the waist. Ginny squirmed, attempting to break free from his grasp. He held on tight, there was no way he was letting her go.

"I can't," Ginny stuttered. She was usually a confident person. She wasn't one to get nervous around boys. But Harry was different. When she was around him she felt like a little girl with a crush. Heck, she was a little girl with a crush, but it felt like so much more. Ginny bit her lip frantically, trying to think up an excuse. You would think that by now she would be better at coming up with ideas on the spot. Apparently not. "I have... homework."

"Ginny, you've been avoiding me all week. We can't go on like this." Harry sighed loudly, but let go of her.

She twirled around, biting her lip to stop herself from crying. "What do you want me to say? That I'm sorry I told Hermione we were together? That it didn't mean anything and I shouldn't have done it?"

He took a step closer so their bodies practically touched.

"What do I want you to say? I want you to say that you're not sorry. That you told her that because that's what you really wanted." Harry let out the breath that he didn't realize he was holding. "But we don't always get what we want." _Yes_, he thought bitterly. _Luckily for everyone else, that unlucky git is usually me_.

Ginny stood, staring at him as he left the room. Had he really just said that? She watched as he placed his hand on the doorknob, about to leave the room for good. She had to stop him.

"Wait," she whispered. He stopped; slowly around to find Ginny bolting towards him. She smiled at him, pinning him against the door.

"I don't want to talk," she said, then she smirked wickedly. "I have other things I'd rather be doing with my mouth."

She leaned in and kissed him full on the lips. This time she could honestly give Hermione all the details. She had kissed other guys before, but it was different with Harry. Maybe it was because she had been waiting for it for so long. Maybe it was because her feelings for Harry were so much stronger. But kissing Harry gave her the feeling of utter happiness. Like her knees were melting away from beneath her. Her feeling of bliss slipped away slowly as he pulled away.

"Ginny," he said dumbly.

"Sometimes you do get what you want," Ginny smiled, knowing that this would a moment that she wouldn't forget. Harry continued to stare, gobsmacked, at her. She rolled her eyes. How typical. She gave him a quick kiss on the forehead, before brushing past him to find Hermione. Whether she was upset or not, Hermione would not deny Ginny from telling her this story.

* * *

Hermione listened patiently as her best friend talked animately. She was happy for Ginny, she really was. It was about time too. Thank Merlin that Harry had finally come to his senses. She smiled at the appropriate times, occasionally giggling, gasping, and asking the few questions that came into her mind.

"It's okay," Ginny said suddenly. "I know you're upset about Fred."

Hermione shrugged. "The prank with Bill proved - "

"That he cares about you," Ginny interjected. "He pulled the prank to get back at Bill for hurting you."

At this, Hermione blinked rapidly. She hadn't thought of it like that before. Surely though, it wasn't possible? Why would Fred, of all people, care if Bill hexed the broom? If not because it was his broom, of course.

"Why haven't you talked to him?" Ginny asked, pulling Hermione from her thoughts.

"That prank was horrid."

"You're still talking to George," she pointed out.

"It wasn't his idea."

Even Ginny had to admit that that was a very good point. She sighed inwardly to herself. Hermione was not giving in. Not today, at least.

* * *

"Have you realized," George said. "That you, my dear brother, haven't spoken to the love of your life for a week?"

Fred looked at his twin, an annoyed look crossing his face, before shrugging quickly and turning away. George smiled lightly, amused. At least Fred still liked Hermione. That was a start. He watched as Fred went back to flicking through their notes of their latest inventions. It was a first. Fred often did the practical work, leaving George with the note taking. However, considering George had been left to do the hands on work for the last prank, Fred had taken it upon himself to do the write up, no matter how much it annoyed him.

"Bill's gone to France," George commented. "To make up with Fleur."

"Think he'll forgive us?"

"In time," he replied. He could see another question forming on his brother's face though, and waited patiently.

"Harry and Ginny?" Fred asked simply.

George's eyes narrowed, though not threateningly, more as if though he was confused. "Together."

Fred gave a small grunt of approval, before turning his attention back to the notebook, and lifting his quill once more. George sighed, leaving the room to find his little sister.

* * *

"I can not believe you did that," Ginny snapped, eyeing George in spite. "When I said make sure it doesn't backfire, I meant, make sure it doesn't harm Hermione and Fred's relationship."

"I tried," George muttered, looking down at his hands. There was no point in arguing with Ginny, not when she was like this. Snogging Harry might have put her in a good mood, but she was still Ginny, his little sister that could cast an impressive Bat-Bogey hex.

Ginny's face softened. "I know," she murmured, seating herself in between George and Harry, rubbing her temples. The last week had been, for lack of a better word, disastrous. "First things first, we've got to get them on speaking terms again."

"We're not still going through with this?" Ron gaped across at her. "This is bloody insane. A suicide mission."

She glared at him, and he shook his head in dismay, wondering why he had even bothered to ask the question in the first place.

"He says congratulations, by the way," George said suddenly, looking at Harry and Ginny. "And something about it being about bloody time."

"Well, that's probably the only thing Hermione and him have in common," Ginny muttered. "They could see us getting together, but..." she broke off, realizing that there was no point in finishing the sentence. The four in the room were all thinking the same thoughts. Fred and Hermione were idiots. There was no denying that.

George suggested that they should start to think of some ideas, considering that they would probably get through a few before the message finally sunk in. He started, listing numerous small ideas off the top of his head; a few minor inventions, a few legit potions, and finishing off by claiming that locking the two up in a closet was still the best idea by far.

Ron admitted, rather meekly, that he hadn't been thinking about it much lately, and was drawing a blank. George laughed, telling him that that was no surprise, nor was it news.

"Why don't we just tell them?" Harry asked suddenly, as if though the idea was a completely new one.

Ginny frowned. "I doubt Hermione would believe you if you said so."

"Fred wouldn't either," George added.

Harry sighed. Why did they have to be so stubborn? Wouldn't it be worth a shot? To try, at least? Even if the two didn't believe them, what difference would it make? It wasn't like they were talking anyway. He relented hesitantly, and soon got lost in the conversation as it continued.

* * *

Hermione let out a sigh of relief as she entered the empty kitchen. She had been hoping no one would be there. She didn't want to stop and talk. She quickly scrawled a note, telling Ginny telling her she had gone for a walk. That was all they needed to know. She didn't need them asking if she was okay. She didn't want their pity or worry. All she wanted was to get out of the house. She wanted to be alone with her thoughts.

A gentle gust of wind tickled her face as she walked out the front door. Looking around she could see no one in the vast paddocks. She smiled at the tweeting of a nearby bird. It was peaceful out here, such a change from her life at the moment. Who knew a simple crush could go so wrong? Picking a direction at random, she started walking.

Ginny's words kept playing through in her mind. _He cares about you_. Could that really be true? Could Fred actually care about what happened to her? But then again, even if he did, he might still only think of her as a friend. Harry and Ron cared about her, but their relationship would never be more than friends. That was probably how he felt felt. He saw her as a friend. Or worse, his little brothers best friend. She groaned at the mere thought.

She was still angry with Fred. The prank on Bill was horrible. Everyone knew that he fancied Fleur, so really it was the perfect idea, and in other circumstances, she would have said that it was rather clever. But Fleur had been so upset by it, and when she dissolved into tears, of course, it was Fred that went to comfort her. Jealousy had surged through Hermione when she had seen him with his arm around Fleur. Why didn't he comfort her like that? She had been sulking for the better part of a week and he hadn't even spoken to her.

And yet, despite the irritation she felt when she so much as heard his name, she still felt the same way. She got butterflies in her stomach simply thinking about him. There was no doubt about it she was smitten for him. She wanted to hate him, she really did. But she didn't, she felt a twang in the back of her stomach when she tried. She sighed, maybe it would be better if she gave up on Fred all together.

Breaking away from her thoughts, Hermione took in her surroundings. She had come to a small creak. Ducklings chased their mothers across the surface which shimmered against the afternoon sun. She watched as the duck nibbled on a chunk of bread that was floating in the water. That was when she saw who was throwing the scraps. A boy with flaming red hair sat cross legged by the water. Hermione could tell it was Fred instantly. She wasn't sure how she could tell the difference between the twins. They were completely identical and yet without fail she could tell them apart. Well, really she could tell which one Fred was. Because whenever he was near her she could feel her heart threatening to break out of her chest.

"Are you just going to stand there?"

Hermione jumped at the question. Slowly, she walked over to where he was sitting. She sat down next to him, not looking at him as she murmured a greeting. They sat in an awkward silence, in which Hermione took a piece of bread and threw it to the ducks.

"It really is beautiful out here," Hermione said in an attempt to break the silence. The comment wasn't a lie though. She had never seen this part of the Weasley property. Before today she hadn't even know it existed. Fred nodded in agreement.

"I use to come out here a lot. Some of my best ideas I thought up right here," he laughed light heartedly at this. "It's still a great place to think."

"I imagine it is," Hermione said looking at their reflections in the water.

"I miss this," Fred suddenly said. Hermione looked at him, eyebrows raised, questioning his words. "I miss talking to you. Without you yelling at me and giving me that look."

"What look?" she asked, growing curious.

"You know, the _glare_," he told her doing an impression of what she could only presume to be the dreaded 'glare.'

"I missed it too," she whispered, leaning in closer to him.

"Do you think it is at all possible that we can be friends again?" he asked her. Hermione's heart dropped at the word 'friend,' but she forced a smile onto her face.

"Of course," she said faking enthusiasm. Being friends was the last thing she wanted. When you were in the friends zone there was almost no escape. And yet, it couldn't be worse than where she was now.

* * *

**Author's Notes: Ah, there we go. A new chapter for you ;D As for the title chapter "Crackers," let's just say that it's a personal joke ^^**

**Rachel: **That Harry & Ginny moment? Yeah, that's my baby. I loved writing it (=

**Kimberley: **- insert thank yous and please reviews here - :D Hope you enjoyed ~


	8. By The Pond

George watched, amused, as his twin entered the house with Hermione trailing behind him. He had been watching for sometime now, having being seated by the window as the two walked slowly towards the house, laughing and chatting quietly to each other. There was something different in the way the two interacted though. Hermione almost looked like she was talking to Harry or Ron. She looked… comfortable, and not nervous or flustered. The cute blush that she used to get from talking to Fred seemed non-existent. Fred had abandoned his old flirtatious tricks, and from a distance, it was as if the two had been friends for life, and nothing more. George sighed, shaking his head. What the hell was Fred playing at?

Fred smiled at George as he entered the room, whilst Hermione sent a curious look in his direction.

"Where's Ginny?" she asked, detaching herself from Fred's side and heading towards the door to the kitchen.

"With Harry," George replied, gagging jokingly.

Hermione rolled her eyes, but couldn't stifle a chuckle from escaping. "And Ron?"

"His room, I guess," he shrugged in reply.

Hermione nodded, giving her thanks, and then stepped out the room, leaving George to turn to his brother, smirking. He edged closer to the end of the couch, patting the space beside him. Fred gave him a wary look before sitting down.

"Before you ask," Fred said seeing George's mouth open, and raising his arms in mock surrender. "Nothing happened." The light smile playing on his lips almost made George question him, but instead he stayed silent, and merely raised his eyebrows as he waited for his brother to continue. "We're just friends."

"That's what Harry said about Gin," George teased.

A deep shade of red crept up Fred's neck, but he shook his head. "Only friends."

"Do you still like her?" George already knew the answer, but it seemed like the next obvious question to ask. He smiled as Fred nodded. It was funny. With all the plans that the four had tried to think of the previous day, letting Fred and Hermione to deal with their problems themselves had never occurred to them as an option. It seemed to have worked out for the best though, and unless his eyes had been deceiving him, the two seemed to be getting on better than ever, even if it was only as friends. "Well," George stood, brushing his pants down. "I better owl Ange."

"She been asking after you?" It was Fred's turn to smirk.

George turned an attractive colour of red as he nodded, mock glaring at his brother. With a defiant grin, George turned, heading upstairs. It seemed that there were many things that he had to do. First, and most importantly, he would write to Angelina. Then he would have to have a chat with Ginny, telling her of his previous conservation. And while he was on the subject of Ginny, there was a small chance that he would drop in to have a quiet chat with Harry too.

Ginny was thoughtful as he talked to her. She had, of course, heard Hermione's side of the story just moments beforehand. She frowned involuntarily. From what Hermione said, and what apparently Fred was saying, it almost sounded like the two were going to settle with being friends. Almost.

"Maybe we should have done the closet thing," she muttered, causing George's eyes to light up. "Maybe, not quite."

"Well, what's the plan now, Gin?" George asked, slightly deflated.

She contemplated the conversation silently for a few moments, before looking at him, smiling. "We wait."

George blinked in shock. He could have sworn that his little sister, Ginerva Weasley, had just suggested that they… wait. He shook his head; he must have been daydreaming. The serious look on Ginny's face told him otherwise though, and he felt his jaw drop in shock. She giggled lightly, but stood by her decision. George shrugged, but saw no reason to start an argument with the girl, and kept his mouth shut.

* * *

Waiting, as it seemed, was beginning to take its toll on George as he rolled his eyes, watching his twin flirt shamelessly. Yes, the flirting was a lot subtler than it had been before, but it was definitely still there.

"Fred," George said, exasperated. "Just pass her the damn toast."

Fred looked up, confused, but consented, passing Hermione the plate, no longer with the added theatrics or jokes. George winced, realizing he had said the words out loud. It's just, they were so – oh, infuriating! How anybody could be so dense, George had no idea.

"Harry," Hermione greeted cheerfully. "What happened?" she added in a worried tone, her eyes raking over his tired body.

"Just a nightmare," Harry said flippantly, dragging himself towards the table, grabbing a seat next to her. Hermione still looked worried, and asked a few questions, only to be dismissed or curtly answered by Harry. He finally sighed, giving up and telling her the details of the nightmare.

The graveyard. Cedric. It all rushed back to him in a sudden wave. He was aware of the nausea he was feeling, and heard Hermione talking, wait – what was she saying? His eyes fluttered close, letting the world around him blank out, and losing the ability to concentrate.

"Hermione?" he asked in wonder, opening his eyes to find a flustered Hermione bending over him. Her hand was on his forehead, a cool damp cloth resting between the two. Blushing, Hermione withdrew her hand, smiling weakly at him.

"You fainted, Harry," she explained softly. "I'm sorry about your nightmares."

"You can't help them," Harry answered honestly. Really, why was she apologizing? It wasn't as if Cedric's death had been her fault. No, that was all his fault. All him.

"It's not your fault, you know," Hermione continued, as if she could read his thoughts. "It's all Volde –"

"Can you sleep with me?" Harry asked, suddenly feeling vulnerable, as he lay, helpless, in his bed. His eyes widened as he realized how that must have sounded. "N-n-no, no," he stuttered. "I just meant, er, well, do you reckon you could stay here?"

Hermione sighed in relief. She had been worried for a moment. Huh! As if she was that sort of girl. Still, she couldn't help but smile as her best friend stammered over his words.

"Sure," she answered. "I guess you're tired."

Harry nodded sheepishly, for the first time realizing that it must be late morning.

"It's okay," Hermione smiled, intertwining her fingers with his. "I'll stay."

She lay down on the bed next to him. Unconsciously, he snuggled into to shoulder, closing his eyes and drifting to sleep. Not knowing what else to do, she was silent, listening to the rise and fall of his steady breathing. She was considering getting up and leaving him, but there was no chance of that. Her conscience would never let her do that; she knew how much the nightmares frightened him. She wanted to be there when he woke up, if he did, that is. She stared up at the ceiling, contemplating the idea of getting her book. He couldn't have a nightmare in the time it took her to run down the hall and fetch her book. She gave in, about to move when Harry rolled over, trapping her beneath him.

Hermione stopped herself just in time, with only a muffled yelp escaping her lips. She pursed her lips, desperately trying to find a way out of the, somewhat awkward, situation. Glancing sideways at his peaceful face, she couldn't find the strength to wake him, but there was no way she going to be able to pry his arm away from her waist without doing so. There was only one answer; she would have to wait until he woke. She sighed, relaxing her body as she yawned. She hadn't got a good night's sleep either. With all the drama involving Fred, her sleep had been lacking. Giving in to her second yawn that morning, she let her eyes flutter close.

"Harry?" Ginny's voice floated up the stairs, awakening Hermione and Harry in split seconds. "Hermione? Lunch is ready!"

Harry's eyes widened, as he whipped his arm from Hermione's waist, looking slightly scandalized. She laughed humorously, rolling off the bed.

"Don't worry, Harry," she smiled at him, ignoring his obvious discomfort. "You're like my brother."

"I didn't – "

"No," she cut him off. "You didn't try anything. You were asleep, for Merlin's sake."

"I was going to say," Harry said, cocking his head to the side in wonder. "That I didn't have a nightmare."

"Oh," Hermione faltered slightly, before brightening. "That's great."

"Do you think…" he sounded nervous as he reached for the doorknob. "You could…" he trailed off, running his hand through his raven hair.

"Harry, you love Ginny, right?" Hermione asked pointedly, refusing to continue until he nodded. "And I like Fred. I'm sure I can sleep with you without it being awkward."

Chuckling at her choice in words, Harry nodded, ushering her out of the door. No one even looked at them as they entered the dining room, except for Ginny, who immediately struck up a conversation with Harry. Hermione rolled her eyes, though she really did find it adorable, and pulled out a chair next to Fred. He smiled at her, his bright eyes lighting up.

"Where's Bill?" Hermione asked suddenly. She had noticed his absence earlier in the morning, but hadn't remembered to ask.

"Well," Fred looked bashful and hesitant as he answered. "He's gone to France. You know, to make up with Fleur."

The subject was still a sensitive one, and Hermione could feel several pairs of eyes fall on her, awaiting her reaction. Instead of blowing up, like most expected her to, she simply shrugged it off, saying that it was probably for the best the he did.

George caught the eye of his twin from across the table. He raised his eyebrows and gave him a look. Fred knew what it meant. Hermione was no longer yelling at him about his pranks. That should've been a good sign, but Fred knew that from his conversation at the pond that her silence meant nothing. Hermione didn't feel the same way as he did. He wasn't going to make things awkward between the two by telling her his feelings. They had just gotten back on speaking terms, and he was enjoying being able to talk to her again. He wasn't going to ruin it. He gave George and warning look, before returning to his lunch.

The rest of the meal past without any yelling or food being thrown, or dropped. Fred struck up conversation with Hermione which she gladly participated in. Harry's chair seemed to inch closer and closer to Ginny; a fact which George was glad to point out, making Harry blush and Ginny laugh. It was after the meal when George cornered Fred in their room.

"So," he said leaning against the wall and staring his brother down. "What really happened today?"

Fred sighed, and sat down on the edge of the bed. What had happened with Hermione today had been eating away at him all day. He kept replaying ever little detail in his head. He looked up at his brother, wondering whether he could trust him. What was he thinking? Of course he trusted him!

"She came down to the pond," he groaned and let his head fall into his hands. "I did something really stupid," he confessed.

George raised his eyebrows. "Stupider than usual?" he asked.

Fred shot him a look, but continued anyway, "I asked if we could be friends. Friends and nothing more."

George gave a low whistle. "Yeah, that was pretty stupid," he said sitting down next to him. Fred gave looked across at him, as if to tell him that he wasn't helping. "Don't worry. Lucky for you the smarter and better looking twin has a plan," George said slapping him on the back. "All you need to do is woo her. Really sweep her off her feet, go the full ten miles."

Fred's scowl didn't waver. "One problem. How am I suppose to do that?"

George just kept on grinning. "I'm sure you'll think of something," he told him.

* * *

They had decided to regroup in Ron's room. Ginny paced the length of the room, while the three boys watched.

"Are you going to do that all day?" Ron asked, regretting his words as Ginny sent a glare in his direction. She stopped and went to sit next to Harry. He moved to put his arm around her shoulder, but changed his mind after seeing the two Weasley boys looking in his direction.

"So... they're friends now," Ginny said. She sucked in air through her teeth. Friends, she didn't know if that was better or worse than not talking to each other.

"Like I said to Fred," George said, guessing her thoughts. "He just needs to do something romantic."

"How?" Ginny snapped. "Fred is about as romantic as a toothpick."

Ron chucked under his breath, but was stopped as George glared at him, saying, "And you have the emotion range of a teaspoon, as Hermione has often pointed out. So, shut it." Needless to say, George did not take well to having his twin insulted.

"So," Harry spoke quickly, sensing a temper burst from his best friend. "What's Fred going to do?" The question was directed at George, in hopes that the boy had actually given Fred some ideas.

"I dunno," George only shrugged though, much to the infuriation of Ginny. "He's a prankster, and a damn good inventor. He'll come up with something."

With that, the four left the room. Only Harry heard Ginny as she muttered under her breath, "Oh great."

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**Kimberley: **Well! Happy birthday Fred and Georgee ~ Hope you enjoyed, and just so you know, Rachel's entered the TriWriter Tournament on the Harry Potter FanFiction Challenges forum :) Wish her luck!

**Rachel: **Thanks to all reviewers/alerters/favouriters. Hopefully we can keep this coming =D


	9. He's Naked

**Disclaimer: We do not own Harry Potter and co ~ But we do own the ideas for this story, we have the paperwork to prove it. And a vicious pussy cat sleeping on top of it!

* * *

**

George was awakened by the sound of a scratching quill, and he looked around the room, yawning as he caught sight of his brother sitting at the desk. The top of the desk could barely be seen under the bits of parchment scattered, covering the surface. George sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"What are you doing up so damn early?" he asked. Fred didn't turn around, and continued to scribble away at his current piece of parchment. George waited impatiently for an answer. He didn't appreciate being woken up early, and was expecting an explanation.

"I had an idea," Fred told him. "To woo Hermione." George raised his eyebrows, pulling himself out of bed. He walked over to the desk, picking up one of the many pieces of parchment. He squinted, expecting to see the usual notes that Fred would do when he had any idea. The rough sketch in the middle, that usually looked nothing like the end product, and a series of words that George would have to string together in hopes of making a normal sentence. He was surprised to see a long list of words, that actually made sense, and several drawings scribbled onto the page. It seemed he was putting a lot of work into this. Whatever it was.

"Wow," George said simply, then he smiled and added jokingly, "Who knew you could draw?"

Fred looked up at his twin briefly, giving him a two-fingered salute before going back to his work. George chuckled, taking Fred's grunt of annoyance as a way of thanking him for his comment on his drawing skills.

"I want it to be a surprise," Fred started, though not looking up from the sheet of parchment. "Do you think you could keep her busy?"

A wicked grin spread across George's face. "It would be my pleasure."

"Get your head out of the gutter," he replied, catching his twin's teasing tone.

George just laughed, gathered some of the parchment in his hands, and began to sift through the sketches and notes. He knew that there was no way that Fred was going to let him help, but it would be a good idea to make sure that he wasn't about to do something that would blow the house up.

"Fred?" he asked cautiously, flicking through some of the drawings. "Don't you think –?"

"It'll make sense later," Fred promised.

"That it's plain," George finished blandly, ignoring Fred's interruption.

Thankfully, Fred didn't seem insulted, and thrust another piece of parchment towards his brother, which he took gratefully. George looked at this drawing with great interest, realizing what a lie his previous statement had been. He shook his head, placing the pile of parchment in his hands on the table.

"Keep her out of here!" Fred called, as George opened the bedroom door, heading out into the corridor. George nodded and went to go to the living room, where he was almost certain she would be. He considered the idea of going to tell Ginny, and letting her deal with the task of keeping Hermione busy. But really, where was the fun it that?

"Hey 'Mione," George said as he plopped down on the couch next to her, causing her to drop her knitting; yet another hat for house elves. She scrambled to the ground to pick it up, while murmuring a greeting to George.

"So how about you and me go shopping?" he asked her, trying to sound as casual as he could. Hermione gave him a puzzled look as she sat back up.

"For school books," he added, just increasing the look of confusion on her face

"Why would you want to take me shopping, for school stuff?" she asked him curiously. He simply shrugged.

"Mum was just going to go and buy everything, seeing as everyone in the wizarding world thinks Harry is a nut job. But I know how much you like looking at all those shiny new books," he nudged her shoulder. "Come on you know you want to."

She frowned and looked down at the half finished knobbly hat in her hands. "I'd really love to, but I should really finish this," she told him.

"Come on, we can have one of our serious George to Hermione talks." He knew that Hermione had always wanted a sibling, and he was hoping that playing this card would hit home base.

She raised her eyebrows. "We have never had one of those before," she said smiling slightly.

"Well, what better time to start then now?" he said, pulling her to her feet, and ushering her towards the fireplace.

They were walking down the cobbled streets of Diagon Ally within minutes. George led Hermione towards Flourish and Blotts. Usually he would avoid the shop, but he knew Hermione adored it. The shop was large and the shelves rose to the ceiling, stacked with thousands of books. George watched as Hermione wandered towards a large display. From his place on the other side of the room he could only just make out the writing, _Advanced Transfiguration_. Sighing he leaned against the closest bookshelf. Some girls liked to shop for clothes; Hermione had her books.

It was a good hour before they left. Hermione would have liked to stay for longer, but she could tell George was getting bored. Although he had insisted he was fine, she had caught him falling asleep, head resting in an open book. After seeing this she had figured it was time to leave.

"Ice cream!" George yelled heartedly, dragging Hermione towards Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. She let him push her into a chair while he ordered and carefully placed her purchases down by the side of her chair. She knew what was coming next; the promised George and Hermione talk. She tapped her fingers impatiently has George sat down, facing her. He stared at her intently for a few moments before ripping his gaze away and focusing on his ice cream.

"George…" Hermione started hesitantly. "You didn't bring me here to buy books, did you?"

"What'd you mean by that?"

"I mean," she said impatiently. "That you had more in mind than falling asleep in the book store when you brought me here."

"What makes you think that?" George replied.

"Spit it out, George. Otherwise I swear I'm going to –"

"Alright, alright," he raised his hands up in surrender, before resting his chin in his hands. "How'd you feel 'bout Fred?"

"Did Ginny put you up to this?" Hermione looked hurt, and a bit confused. It was bad enough with Bill knowing. Having George know as well was short of disastrous.

"No," he said truthfully. It was really Fred that had asked him to do this, even though it would have made a lot of sense if it had been Ginny. He ran his fingers through his hair uncomfortably. Despite the fact that he had heard her admit her feelings for her brother before, it was different face to face. Much different.

"I don't know. How does he feel about me?"

George sighed, getting frustrated. Trust Hermione to answer his question with a more complicated question.

"What the hell have you done with my brother, Hermione?" he settled with using her technique, in hopes of getting answers out of her. "He woke up earlier than he ever has this morning, and won't even talk to me. What have you done?"

It wasn't exactly the best way to get through to her, but it was the best way he could think of at the time, without letting too much slip. It was true, kind of. Fred was actually talking to him, just not about whatever it was he was doing.

"I… I…" Hermione stammered, tears filling her eyes. "I don't know."

George looked up, startled. Maybe he had gone ever so slightly overboard. "'Mione, I didn't mean it like that."

"Yes you did."

"Okay," he relented. "I did. What I'm trying to say is –"

"What, George, what?" she snapped. She was sick of this charade. It seemed to be mocking her, wherever she went. Harry and Ron were being secretive around her, and Ginny's interruption with Bill… now George. Something was out of place.

"Just don't break his heart," he smiled half-heartedly at her, his eyes imploring hers. He watched her for a moment, before sensing her obvious discomfort. Throwing his tissue in a bin nearby, he grinned at her. "All seriousness aside, we should head back."

Hermione was pleased that George's joking demeanor had returned, and smiled at him as she picked up her bags. They walked around the alley for a small while, despite what George's previous words had been. Finally, he muttered something about checking in on the shop for a small moment, and returned with a happy smile, telling her that the shop would probably be ready to open soon; something that both he and Fred had been looking forward to for a long time. Hermione, like the others, had been told of the two's plans to open a joke shop, and was genuinely happy for him, exclaiming in surprise.

"Ready?" George waited for the girl's approval before handing her some floo powder and stepping back. As the puff of smoke slowly disappeared he left too yelling, "The Burrow!"

By the time he had returned, Hermione wasn't in sight. He let a cuss word fly, before going off in search of her. By the end of the day, she was probably going to think that he was stalking her, but if it kept her out of his room, it had to be worth it, right? After taking a quick look in the kitchen, he bounded upstairs, hoping that he wasn't too late.

"Hermione!" he yelled, his eyes widening as he saw her hand on his bedroom door. "You can't go in there."

She raised her eyebrows at him, tapping her foot. "And why not?"

"Because, well, Fred's… he's naked!" George hit himself mentally as the words left his mouth. After all these years of pranking and telling white lies the best excuse he could come up with was that Fred was naked? Brilliant.

"How do you know that?" Hermione yelped, her hand dropping from the handle like it had been burned.

"It's three thirty," George replied calmly, looking at his wristwatch. Thank Merlin he was a decent liar. "He's always naked then." She stared at him, mouth wide open, attempting to take in what he had just said.

"Why?" She finally managed to say, not sure if she actually wanted the answer.

"He is owling Alicia," he told her. Seeing the look on Hermione's face he realized his mistake. Telling the girl that her brother liked that he was owling another girl while naked wasn't the smartest idea.

"I'll leave him to it then," Hermione said, her eyes glistening with tears. She didn't bother to question why anyone would have to be naked to owl someone, and instead she turned promptly on her heel, her back facing him. George opened his mouth, ready to try and fix what he'd said., but she was already running towards Ginny's bedroom. He groaned and banged his head against the door. He had really screwed it up. All he could do now was hope that whatever Fred was making was good enough to sweep Hermione off her feet, and undo the mistake he had just made.

Hermione ran into the room and threw herself down on the bed. Burying her head in the pillow she let out a muffled scream. How could she not have seen this coming? She had thought, from what George had said, that there may have been a chance that Fred felt the same way. It may have been slim, but it was the hope she had been looking for. Now, she didn't know what to think.

"Hermione?" a voice said anxiously. She looked up from the pillow. Harry and Ginny were sitting on Ginny's bed, looking over at Hermione with worried faces.

She quickly sat up. How could she not have seen them there? She had been so preoccupied thinking of Fred that she hadn't looked around the room. She wiped her eyes and attempted to flatten her hair.

"Hi," she said, trying to sound normal. They were sitting close together, Ginny practically on his lap. She realized she must have interrupted something. It was almost funny. Harry and Ginny snogging away and then she ran in like a mad woman. It should have been funny, but she couldn't bring herself to laugh.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, moving to sit next to her. Ginny followed and sat down on her other side. Hermione took one look at the concern on both their faces, and blurted out the whole story. She didn't notice when the tears started rolling freely, but she did notice when Harry wrapped his arm around her shoulder and when Ginny went to get the box of tissues. She finished the story and took one of the tissues Ginny was offering.

"Have you tried talking to him?" Ginny asked. Hermione looked up, hiccupping slightly.

"What?" she said stupidly. Ginny patted her lightly on the shoulder.

"Hermione, you like my brother. And I don't mean the friendship stuff you're trying to pull. You are totally and absolutely smitten about my brother. So after dinner, you go and talk to him."

Hermione sat stunned for a minute, and then she nodded.

Ginny let out a strangled laugh. "And why on earth would anyone owl someone naked?"

* * *

Hermione counted the seconds until the meal as over. As she watched the plates be taken away by Mrs Weasley, she held her breath. You can do this, she told herself. Taking a deep breath she walked over to Fred who was standing near the door talking to George. She tried to say his name but it came out as barely a whisper, she tried again.

"Fred!" She yelled, he turned around to look at her.

"Can I talk to you?" She asked nervously. He smiled at her.

"Isn't that what you're doing?" he teased. She groaned and was about to clarify that she wanted to speak in private when he interrupted her. "I want to show you something," he said, taking her hand and leading her towards the staircase.

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**Authors Note:**

Well today I'm writing the Author's Note. So I hope you all enjoyed our lovely story. Kimberley sent me the whole naked part and I actually sat there laughing for a few minutes. Hope you had fun reading it! It is school holiday time so we should be updating more often *fingers crossed*. Somewhat cliffy at the end, wonder if anyone can guess what he made, hehehehe. This is coming nearer the end of our story, only about 5ish more chapters to go! :'( It's so sad. Thank you to everyone who is reading our story! And remember to go hit the review button that should be somewhere below this not. In my opinion it is very under used. Bye for now! - Rachie xo

*coughs*

Don't even comment on why you have to be naked to owl someone. Please xD Five chapters? Eh. I was thinking three-ish, unless you have some warped plan that I don't know about? Anyway, thanking you all muchly. - Kimberley xo


	10. About Time

**Disclaimers And All That Jazz: Written by RGBTheDuckie and xakemii. We don't own Harry Potter, sadly enough. **

**Sorry about the wait. We had a couple of issues with hitting a wall when it came to this chapter. Anyway, it's up now (: Don't hate us too much!

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Fred pulled Hermione up the stairs impatiently. He had noticed her nervous behaviour from dinner, and was wondering what on earth George had done to her. He also caught his little sister glaring at him from across the table, and winced slightly. He was considering cornering George first, and asking, but after Hermione had come up to him, he couldn't resist and immediately whisked her away. He stopped at the door to her room, sensing her discomfort.

"You okay?" He cocked his head to the side, watching as she squirmed out of his grip.

"Can't you show me here?" Hermione said. She was determined not to enter the room, as she still hadn't gotten the previous events out of her mind.

"Actually," Fred said, flashing her a strange look. "I can't."

Hermione sighed, and looked visibly hurt as she reached to hold onto the door's handle. Fred smiled lightly as he ushered her into the room, flamboyantly gesturing towards the bed, inviting her to sit.

"How's Alicia?" Hermione muttered spitefully as she hooked one foot over the other, swinging them against the bed.

"How would I know that?" He looked shocked at her question, and stopped rifling through the drawer for a moment to stare at her.

"George said you were owling her," she snapped, before biting her tongue. So much for talking nicely to him, but then, if he wasn't acting so bloody arrogant, perhaps she wouldn't have been so rude. She glared at his oblivious expression before talking again, "Apparently you owl her everyday at three thirty, naked whilst doing so."

"What?!" Fred exclaimed, his jaw hitting the floor as she said the last part. Well, that certainly cleared things up. His eyes widened in disbelief as she sat there, looking quite irritated as he started chuckling quietly. "George said that, did he?"

"Yes, though I don't see how it's funny," she glared at him, feeling the need to leave the room.

Fred leaned against the desk casually. "Tell me, 'Mione, why would anyone owl someone when they're naked?"

She flushed furiously at this point, still glaring at him while she muttered, "You tell me."

"On the other hand," Fred grinned at her, seemingly undeterred by her deadly gaze. "I can assure you that I was not owling Alicia, least not while naked."

"But George –"

"George lied," he laughed heartedly. "I asked him to keep you out of this room."

"Oh, what?" Hermione retorted, her eyes brimming with tears. "So you don't want my company?"

"Hermione," Fred said, exasperated, turning to go through his drawers once more and beginning to push the papers that were strewn across the table into a messy pile. "I did actually invite you here, remember?"

"Why did you invite me, anyway?" She blushed at her stupid remark, and briskly changed the subject. She was anxious to know why Fred had brought her to his room, and her eyes darted around excitedly.

"Close your eyes," he commanded, circling around her and sitting on the bed behind her. She protested for a few moments, trying to twist around, but he quickly kept her in order, and she relented, shutting her eyes with a final, "Hmph!"

Hermione bit back a giggle as his hands brushed against her neck gently, but let out an involuntarily gasp as she felt cold metal slap against her skin. Not waiting for permission, she snapped her eyes open, looking down at herself. She lifted her hand up hesitantly, fingering the locket the hung from her neck. It was an oval shape, with numerous patterns swirling around the centre. She ran her fingers over it, marveling at the delicate curves.

"Do you like it?" Fred sounded uncharacteristically nervous as he watched Hermione, eager to see a reaction from her.

"Oh, Fred," she gasped, twisting around to fling her arms around his neck. Burying her head into his shoulder, she let her tears seep through his t-shirt. "It's beautiful," she finally replied.

Fred let out a breath that he didn't remember holding. A mixture of relief and pride swelled through him as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Does that mean you like it?" he breathed after a few moments.

"Of course I do, you prat," she laughed quietly, pulling away from the tight hug. She offered him a smile before speaking again. "You made this for me?"

It was Fred's turn to laugh, and he nodded. "Yeah."

"Why?" The word slipped out of her mouth before she could stop it, and Fred's grin fell instantly. "I mean, I love it, I really do. I just don't understand why. Only yesterday you were telling me that you only wanted to be friends, and now –"

"I lied," Fred cut in. Sighing, he placed his hands on her cheeks, gazing into her eyes deeply. "I lied, Hermione."

"So did I," she whispered. "I want… I want…"

"That reminds me," Fred said. He picked the locket up in his hand and carefully popped it open. Inside was what appeared to be a compass. "It's a new creation of mine. It points to the thing you want most."

Hermione looked down at open locket. Before the point had been spinning lazily around, now it had settled - pointing directly at Fred. She stared at the locket momentarily, before lifting her eyes to meet his. She could feel her stomach tying itself into knots. She didn't know if she could do it; tell him the truth. After all the time she had spent admiring from afar. But then her thoughts drifted back to the person who had pushed her to have this conversation. Ginny had been crushing on Harry for years, and it turned out he liked her too. Ginny got her fairytale ending, so why couldn't she?

"I don't want to be friends either," she whispered. She edged closer to him so their bodies touched. She reached for his hand and felt somewhat relived when he held on. Looking up into his deep brown eyes she knew she had to do it. If she didn't she would forever wonder what could have been.

"I want to be so much more." Neither of them spoke for what felt like hours.

"Fred," Hermione said, breaking the silence. The word had barely come out of her mouth when Fred leaned forward to kiss her open mouth.

She didn't respond for a minute - a moment where she sat in shock while his lips pressed gently against hers. When he noticed that he broke away.

"This is the part where you're supposed to kiss me back." It was said teasingly, but she could hear the worry in his voice.

"Really?" she teased, grinning at him.

"Yes, and then I'll carry you off into the sunset."

She gave a girlish squeal as he scooped her up off the bed. She threw her arms around his neck, and couldn't help but laugh.

"There's no sunset," she told him, pouting slightly.

"I think I can arrange that," he said, winking at her. She shook her head.

"You don't need it." Hesitantly, she lifted hers lips to meet his.

This was what he had wanted for so long, and she had gotten it. She was kissing Fred Weasley, the man of her dreams. She wasn't about to tell him, but it was her first kiss. She never had time for dating, when she was worrying about Harry or fighting with Ron. At the back of her mind she was worried she would do something wrong, that Fred would drop her right there and laugh. But another much bigger part was busy enjoying the moment.

Fred lowered Hermione back down to the bed. She quickly stood up and advanced on him, but Fred gently placed his hands on her shoulders and held her at arm's length.

"Hermione, are you sure?" It pained him to say it. All her really wanted was pin her to the door behind her and continue snogging. But he wanted to know for sure. He had fallen for his brother's best friend, and now they were kissing. Hermione placed her hands on his chest; she couldn't help but notice the toned muscles beneath her fingertips.

"I have waited for this moment for years," she said softly. "And now you want to talk."

Fred smiled at her. He leaned down so his mouth was just beside her ear.

"Well in that case…" He went on the impulse he had before and pushed her against the wall. The wood making a thunk as her back collided with the wood. He hadn't time to do anything when there was a muffled scream from the other side of the door.

Instinctively Fred pulled out his wand and aimed it at the door. He gently moved Hermione out of the way, and flung open the door. Ginny, Harry, Ron and George were in a pile on the floor. They must have been listening at the door when Hermione had hit it. George's head poked up from the pile of limbs.

"So are you two together now, or what?" George asked - ever the tactful one. Much to Hermione's embarrassment, he didn't even have the decency to look sheepish at the fact that he had just been caught red-handed.

Fred threw his arms around Hermione's shoulders, pulling her close into him. She didn't protest although her checks flushed slightly. "Of course."

Hermione slowly tiptoed across the landing - careful to avoid the lose floorboards, not wanting to wake anyone up. She hadn't been able to sleep, but for different reasons then the pervious nights. She had eventually given up on sleep, knowing that the more she tossed and turned the more unlikely it was. After searching her belongings as quietly as possible, she remembered that she had left her book in the living room. So, with a glance in Ginny's direction to make sure she had not woken her, she had crept out of the room.

She jumped as she heard a distant moan. Straining her ears she attempted to hear more. She was just able to make out a mumbled voice. It took her a minute to figure out what it was. All thoughts of her book forgotten, Hermione vaulted up the stairs two at a time. Not even stopping to knock she ran into the attic bedroom.

Just as she had expected, Harry was writhing around on the stretcher he slept on while at the Weasley's. The blankets had become entangled in his legs as he thrashed around.

"No, don't hurt them," he muttered. Hermione rushed towards him and knelt down by his side.

"Harry, wake up," she murmured shaking his shoulder gently. He didn't respond. It was frightening, the way he was twisting and turning. Had she been thinking clearly, she probably would have thought that the whole positioning of his body looked rather painful. Not that it stayed still for very long. Taking his shoulder once more, she shook him, quite viciously this time. "Harry! Oh god, Harry!"

His murmurs were becoming more frequent, but slightly quieter, much to Hermione's relief. Did that mean his nightmare was coming to an end? Not knowing what else to do, she settled with trying once more to wake him, saying his name repeatedly as she grasped his shoulder.

She stayed like this for what felt like several minutes, before a blood curling yell from Harry made her yelp, shaking him vigorously. Casting an annoyed glance in the direction if a still sleeping Ron, she panicked. How could Ron sleep through that? And more importantly, why wasn't Harry waking up?

"Aguamenti..." The spell had slipped from her lips before she had had a chance to consider them, and water shot from her wand, drenching Harry and effectively waking him. "Oh, god, Harry!" Hermione grinned happily, flinging her arms around him, not really minding the wetness.

"Her... Hermione?" Harry gasped, sitting bolt right as he tried to clear the images that were flashing in his mind. It was the same nightmare. It always was. His vision became focused on his friend that was seemingly attached to him, and he smiled weakly.

"Harry, you're shaking." Hermione commented, as she let go of him. Harry ran his fingers awkwardly through his hair.

"I'm okay," he muttered. One look at his trembling body and Hermione could tell he was lying. She rubbed his arm reassuringly, before sighing inwardly and kicking off her slippers.

"Move over," she commanded. Harry looked up at her questioningly. She sighed, and pushed him gently to one side of the bed.

"It worked before didn't it? With me here you don't have nightmares. I'm worried about you Harry. You're stressed out all the time, and if I can help in any way, I'd do it in the blink of an eye." She pushed the blankets away and lay down next to him. Harry was hesitant at first, but eventually snuggled in closer.

"Silencing charm, by the way," he said, nodding towards Ron. Hermione looked up at the snoring figure of Ron and immediately understood.

"Why not the room too?" Hermione frowned, if he yelled like that he could wake up the whole house. "And the Ministry?"

"Not usually that loud," he chuckled, thinking of the drastic way he had been awoken. "And special allowances."

"Sorry," Hermione muttered sheepishly.

"Hey don't worry about it," he told her. "I really do appreciate you doing this. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"More than likely never do your homework," she said teasingly, nudging his shoulder. "But I meant what I said before. I'd do anything to help you, I hope you know that."

Harry smiled out her. "I do know that. Thanks 'Mione."

They laid in a comfortable silence for a minute, before Harry spoke.

"What about Fred?" he asked suddenly. "What would he think of this?"

Hermione shrugged, not seeing the problem. "This is different, we're not... You know."

"I guess..." Harry still sounded hesitant, but he shut his mouth anyway, hoping that nightmares wouldn't plague him for much longer.

With Hermione by his side, the nightmares were nonexistent for the rest of the night, and he woke peacefully, smiling as he realized just what a good sleep he had had, not counting the first half of the night, of course. Hermione had slipped out of the room earlier, and she wasn't in the room as the sun was rising. For this, Harry was extremely happy. How on earth would he have explained it to Ron? Or Ginny? Or Fred? He groaned quietly as the last two names entered his mind. His friendship with Hermione was still, as it always had been, strictly platonic. But like the rest of their family, Ginny and Fred had a stubborn streak, and he doubted that if the two of them were caught in bed together that either of them would stick around for an explanation. He was glad, for his sake and Hermione's that Hermione was an earlier riser and had escaped Ron waking up, which was sure to happen in a few moments. Sighing, he flicked his wand in the direction of his friend, successfully taking down the silencing charm that had been put up only hours beforehand. With that Harry pulled himself out of bed, making his way down the stairs.

"Hey Fred," Harry yawned, nodding in the redhead's direction. His yawn was cut off as his eyes opened, landing on a very furious Weasley.

"You are so dead."

* * *

**Author's Notes**:

**Kimberley**: And again, I'm very, very sorry for the wait. School's started again and to be honest, FanFiction isn't exactly my top priority in life at the moment. Anyway, I'm very sad to say that we are coming to an end soon, I reckon? But! If we do a sequel (which might just happen, in maybe a month or just when we find time), please, please put Rachel's account on alert, and that's where we'll say! Of course, we'll say here as well, but yeah, definitely on her account next time ;D We will write more together, right, Rachie?

**Rachel**: Defiantly. It's kind of sad that it's coming to an end, but it has been so much fun to write. I hope you all enjoyed the much awaited first kiss. But I promise you things are going to start to get a lot more dramatic next chapter.

**Review Responses**:

**missygrace101** - You were our 50th review ;D Thanks so much! 50 reviews were pretty much what we were aiming for, so THANKS!

**keelhaulrose** - This is Kimberley, and I'm sorry to say that it's actually meant to be my job to do to the majority of the editing, but I fail at editing my own work. Ergh. Anyway, thanks for pointing out so many things to me, and I try to change them as soon as possible :) Thanks again!


	11. Ow, Ow What?

**Disclaimer: Written by RGBTheDuckie and xakemii. We don't own Harry Potter.**

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Fred stood up, the chair falling to the ground behind him. He advanced on Harry who was looking like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Fred let me explain." Fred had finally reached Harry and was glaring down at the younger boy. He scowled and pointed an accusing finger at him.

"I came looking for Hermione. I thought you might know where she was, and turns out you did. You were sleeping in the same bed as her for Merlin's sake! I don't need any explanation about your sick love story."

"It's not what you think," Harry stuttered, desperate to explain. He attempted to take a step away from the angry redhead, but was one second too late. Fred's fist connected with his face with a sickening thud. Harry stumbled of the impact backwards from the force of the impact. His hand flew towards his nose, which was now gushing blood.

"Damn you hit hard," he muttered backing into the wall. A line of red had slowly flowed down the lower part of his face and was now dripping from the end of his chin. He wiped it away only for it to be replaced by a new stream of blood.

"Trust me, Fred, nothing's going on," he managed to cough. Fred threw his arms up in the air and irritation.

"Of course something's going on, you're shagging Hermione, or at least trying very hard to," he yelled, not noticing the door open. Harry heard it though, and turned to see two shocked faces in the doorway.

"Who are you shagging, Harry?" Ginny shrieked.

"Hermione," Fred said from across the room. "I found them cuddled up together in bed this morning."

Ginny looked horror struck. She looked at Hermione standing beside her, her mouth opening slightly. She had noticed Hermione's absence last night, but hadn't thought that much of it. If anything she thought she could have been with Fred. But now it all made sense. Harry and Hermione had always been close, like brother and sister they said. But what if there was always more?

She turned back to Harry who was looking at her with wide eyes.

"Ginny," he said, moving towards her. She snarled and for the second Harry saw stars as a fist connected with his face. This time he lost balance completely and fell to the wooden floor of the kitchen. With his body lying in a pile on the floor Ginny took her chance. She swung back her leg and let her foot connect with side.

"Stop!" Hermione screamed grabbing Ginny round the middle and dragging her away from Harry's crumpled body. Hermione was bigger than the younger girl but Ginny was obviously stronger. She wriggled free of her grasp and turned to face her.

"How could you?" Ginny screamed, tears welling up in her eyes. Hermione stepped back in shock. "You knew how I felt about him. You were probably having a right old laugh at me when I spilt my heart out to you." Her cheeks were flushed and her breathing heavy.

Hermione blinked several times before she said anything.

"He had a nightmare," she whispered, her voice sounding almost terrified. Ginny opened her mouth, ready to interrupt but Hermione carried on, her voice growing in volume. "I couldn't sleep so I went to get my book. I heard him screaming and went to find out what was wrong. He was physically shaking Ginny. Maybe I should have left him there, scared out of his mind. But, you know as well as I do, that no good friend would do that. So I stayed with him, and I comforted him. I fell asleep in his bed but that means nothing. I would never do that to you!"

Ginny stuck her bottom lip out and pouted.

"Why should I believe you?" she asked - the threatening tone she had used before gone.

"Because I'm telling the truth," Hermione pleaded with her friend. She bit her lip nervously, before realizing that Ginny wasn't going to say anything else. Sighing, she turned her back to her, and knelt on the floor beside Harry. She took off her jersey, dabbing gently at Harry's face. He groaned a few times, but it wasn't in pain, it was in annoyance. How could things have gotten so off course?

"Does it hurt, Harry?" Hermione asked anxiously. "Ginny, you stay here. I'll fetch Molly."

"No!" Ginny said quickly. "Don't get Mum. Get George."

Hermione wasn't pleased by the change in plans, but was glad that Ginny was actually speaking to her, so happily obliged, and hurriedly bounded up the stairs. As soon as she had disappeared from sight, Ginny fell to her knees, lifting Harry's head so it rested in her lap.

"Sorry," she murmured, tracing his face with her fingers. "About that kick, I mean. The punch you deserved."

"Uhuh," Harry muttered in reply, not completely comprehending what was going on around him. He had heard Hermione stomping up stairs, but the rest was a blur. He could only hope that George was a lot more willing to listen than his twin.

* * *

"George?" Hermione pounded on the door furiously, gasping for breath. "Please let me in. George!"

She was glaring at the door, as it if it personally insulted her by not opening. If she was being truthful to herself, she would have completely understood where George was coming from. Obviously, Fred had told his twin, and considering how close the two were, George would have most definitely taken his side. She was pleasantly surprised when the door flung open, and tried to ignore the fact that it had almost resulted into her falling face first in the room.

"What do you want, Granger?" George looked exhausted as he snapped at Hermione.

"Fred got it wrong," Hermione pleaded, determined to take the frown of the prankster's face. "I'm not sleeping with Harry. Please, George, please!"

"Please what?"

Hermione backtracked a few moments before blurting out, "Harry's hurt."

"Fred got to him, did he?" he winced, knowing that his twin hadn't taken the news well. He wasn't sure whether to believe Hermione or not. He wanted to believe her, he really did. But from what Fred had said... He just made it sound so _convincing_. But Hermione wasn't like that, was she? She had never struck him as the type that got around or the type to lead people on. Then again, they had never been close friends, what did he know?

"Ginny too," Hermione said. "He needs help. Ginny sent me up..."

George sighed, stepping out of the doorway and into the corridor without speaking. There was no point in talking. The two made their way downstairs, with Hermione shooting pleading looks at his back as she trailed behind him. He stood at the bottom of the stairs for a few moments, watching as his younger sister rocked Harry in her arms whispering comforting words in his ear.

"I thought you said she got to him?" George whispered, frozen.

"She did," Hermione whispered back, a soft smile evident on her face. "Fred just caused the blood."

"Right, the blood..." The word brought George back into reality, and he cleared his throat loudly to announce his presence. "You know I'm not good at healing others, Gin..."

Ginny looked up, blinking in surprise. "Yes... you have that cream though... don't you?"

"Sure, Gin," George grinned, pulling out the cream that he carried everywhere from his pocket. The twins always carried the cream. They claimed that it could fix any bruises or cuts, and that they had created by themselves from scratch. No one doubted the latter, but were slightly unsure of the former. He threw the small tub towards her, and she opened it immediately, scooping out the contents with her fingertips. Ginny proceeded to apply the cream on Harry, whilst being watched carefully by Hermione and George. It was only when he was certain that Ginny and Harry would be fine, when he pulled Hermione out of the room.

"Look," he started. "You didn't actually -"

"No, George," Hermione interrupted. "I didn't have sex with Harry. It's just he doesn't have nightmares if... if he has someone close to him."

"So you did sleep with him?"

"No! Well, yes! But not in that way!" She bit her lip, struggling to find the right words. She looked forlorn all of a sudden and sighed loudly. "I have to explain..."

George raised his arms, mocking surrender. "I meant it when I told you not to break his heart, Hermione."

"I didn't mean to..." Hermione's eyes widened, filling with tears. "You've got to help me. Please, George. Where is he?"

Not sure of what else to do, George stayed silent. If he told her, then she could either destroy his brother completely. Then again, she could also bring him back. He had left. Only moments before Hermione had been knocking on their door, Fred had left. He had only yelled a few words during his departure - a few words that made even George flinch. Knowing that he probably just wanted sometime alone, George hadn't followed him. This was one of the reasons George really, really didn't want to talk to Hermione. But then again, there was nothing he could tell her. Not really.

"Hermione..." he trailed off. "I don't know where he is."

"You've got to know! I won't hurt him, I promise. Just tell me where he is!"

"I don't know, alright?" George yelled, quickly losing his patience. "You shagged Harry! Fred got mad! And now he's GONE!"

"I DIDN'T SHAG HARRY!" Hermione cried. "Wait. You really don't know?"

"No!"

"Help me, and we might be able to find him."

"And how do you plan on doing that, Granger?"

"Didn't he tell you about this?" Hermione smiled slightly, pulling a solitary object over her head.

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**Author's Stuff**: Only a couple of chapters to go! Sorry about the lack of length here, by the way. Anyways! Kimberley is doing the no-talking famine tomorrow! And Rachel is doing the no-technology next week, so there's the excuse for slow updates next time :D Sorry! But World Vision is just simply higher on the global scale of importance. Thanks to everyone that's been reading and reviewing!


	12. Blood

**Important Stuff**: Written by RGBTheDuckie and xakemii, neither of whom own Harry Potter.

**andbytheway**: Rachel failed to mention to me that the compass idea was stolen from PoTC. And here was innocent little Kimberley praising her for such an original idea! Goodness. Anyway, that's not ours either, apparently.

* * *

"No," George declared. "There's no way I'm letting you borrow my broom.

Hermione looked up at him, exasperated. "He could be _anywhere_. I can't apparate! The only option I have is flying."

He nodded, but kept his firm expression. "I agree, but there's no way in hell I'm going to let you borrow my broom. You'll bloody kill yourself."

Groaning, Hermione ran her fingers through her tangles of hair. She knew what he was saying was true, and that by flying she probably would kill herself, but still, she had to try. Drawing in an annoyed breath, Hermione looked up at George, waiting impatiently for the verdict.

"You stay here, and I'll go," George finally said, much to her dismay.

"No, George!" she exclaimed, feeling more and more agitated by the second. "I need to talk to Fred, to explain what really happened. Plus, I have the compass, you won't be able to find him without it," Hermione demanded, slamming her hand down on the table to emphasize her point.

George rubbed his temples. Why was she being so difficult? He could easily find Fred by himself. After all, they were twins, and had barely spent a second of their lives away from each other. Besides, he knew Fred well - really well.

"What direction did you say the compass was pointing in?" he asked.

Hermione pulled out the golden chain and flipped open the lid. "That way," she told him, pointing.

"I know where he is," he said, a grin spreading across his face. "When we were younger we found this forest, about a mile east of here, I guess. We used to go out there for hours. I bet you that where he is."

"Great!" For the first time that morning, Hermione looking genuinely happy as she wrapped a jacket around herself. "Let's go."

George let out a hearty laugh as he gripped her wrist, shaking his head. "Don't even think about it, Granger."

"It's either us, or nobody, George."

There was silence for a few moments. Fred would kill him if he let Granger get hurt, and at this rate, it was either Fred's life or hers. Okay, so he was being slightly over dramatic. After all, Fred wasn't in any real trouble, was he? They had spent years in that forest, there was no evil there. Then again... that was before Wonder Boy had shown up declared old Voldie was still out and about. George knew that he had no choice. Gripping his wand in one hand, he turned to Hermione, offering her his hand.

"Let's go."

Grinning from ear to tear, Hermione grasped his arm and clenched her eyes shut. A split second later, the two disappeared with a soft _pop_. They were going to find Fred.

Hermione had no clue where she was when she arrived. There was one thing for sure - they were no longer at the Burrow. Instead, she found herself surrounded by pine trees, and had George not been with her, completely lost.

"Be quiet," George whispered. "That way he won't run off."

"You're leaving me?" Hermione's eyes widened in fright as George began to walk away from her.

Looking back over his shoulder, he frowned at her. "We'll never find him otherwise. These woods are massive."

"How am I meant to find you afterwards though?"

Pulling a small mirror from his pocket, George threw it at her. "Works like Sirius's."

Hermione was still unsure of herself, but deep down, she knew that George was right. The woods were massive. They needed to split. So ignoring the gut feeling in her stomach, she nodded, and scuttled away quickly before she could change her mind.

Fred sat on the high branch of a tree, letting his legs swing beneath him. He seemed to have made his way there almost automatically; too distraught from the previous events to care. Tears had been rolling freely down his checks since he had left the Burrow. To start with they were tears of anger and rage, but those feelings were soon overwhelmed with sorrow.

He dropped his head into his hands. How did this happen? For a few hours, things had seemed perfect. He had finally gotten the girl he had always wanted... only to find out she was shagging Harry. He had thought they were only friends, but now looking back, they had always been unusually close.

Yet, it was so unlike Hermione. Maybe he should have stayed to hear her out - listen to her defense. At the time Fred couldn't bear to be in the room any longer. He would have liked to have punched Harry another time, maybe yell a little, but seeing Hermione's wide eyes, he had felt the urge to go over there and forgive her for everything she had done - to hug her and tell her it was all going to be better. So disgusted by his own thoughts Fred had stormed from the room.

A rustle from below startled Fred, almost making him fall from the tree. He grabbed hold of the trunk to steady himself. Sitting absolutely still, he peered down to see what was beneath him. He only just managed to stifle a gasp. Walking on the ground below was Hermione. She was clutching the compass he had given her in her hands and muttering to herself. Straining his ears, Fred began to distinguish words.

"Where is he?" she murmured. "The compass says he should be right here." She stopped at the trunk of the tree. It took a second for Fred to realize what was going on. She was looking for him, and the compass was telling her he was here. Which was true, little did Hermione know that he was just above plain sight.

Fred watched, amused, as Hermione searched for him. She checked behind the tree, in bushes, under rocks. Finally she slid to the ground.

"Stupid compass," she said, flinging it across the ground. To Fred's horror, tears were brimming over her eyes.

"I'm sorry Fred," she whispered, hugging her knees. Fred's chest tightened as he watched her sob. He wasn't going to give in to her pleas. No matter how much he wanted to. She had broken his heart. He wasn't going to go running back to her just like that.

After what felt like forever, Hermione stood. She wiped her eyes, and attempted to brush the dirt from her clothes. She started to walk away, before turning. She scanned the ground before her eyes landed and the discarded necklace. Slowly, she wandered over to it. She wasn't paying attention to where she was walking and her foot hit a jagged rock, rolling her ankle. Howling in pain and hopping on one leg, she grasped her foot. As she did so, she drifted backwards.

_No._

Fred knew what was about to happen. From personal experience, he knew that hidden behind those trees and bushes was a slope, which fell dramatically steeply before turning into a clearing. Hermione wasn't aware of this as she jumped backwards. When she thought her foot would meet flat ground, she found nothing but thin air. All Fred could do was watch in horror as she tumbled.

Fred leaped from the tree, landing hard on the ground. His feet stung from ground shock but he ignored that. He rushed over to the trees, and pushed them back so he could look downwards. The slope was steeper than he had remembered; it would have been difficult to even walk down. Rocks were scattered across the grass, their sharps edges mocking him. His eyes wandered from the rocks, searching for Hermione.

He found her, a crumpled body at the bottom of the hill. From here he could see blood, and that was all the momentum he needed. Without hesitation he bounded down the hill. Halfway down, he skidded. His arm scrapped along a rock as he fell to his back. Within seconds he was running down the hill. The cut on his arm was nothing to him. He had to get to Hermione.

He fell to his knees beside her. Her eyes were closed, but she was breathing. A large gash ran the length of her check. Fred's fingers wandered across it as he stiffled a gasp. As his eyes flew across her body he found that everywhere he looked was battered. Bruises were already forming in places, and scratches covered her arms. Fred gasped as he looked at her legs. The knee of her right leg was unnaturally swollen, but it was what was just below that which worried him. The whole side of her calf had been pummeled by the rocks. The skin had been peeled back, leaving her lower leg soaked in blood.

"No, no, no," Fred cried. He grasped hold of her shoulders and shook her as gently as he could. "Come on, Hermione, wake up. Please wake up."

Hermione groaned and rolled slightly, before gasping in pain.

"Oh, thank, Merlin." Fred was so glad that she was awake that he didn't notice the terrified look in her eyes, not until she let out a yell of agony. He moved closer to her, and cupped her face in his hands.

"Hermione, look at me," he instructed. Hermione's scared brown eyes locked onto his. "It is going to be okay. I'm going to get you better, but you have to stay awake."

Silently cursing himself for never bothering to learn healing spells, he patted his robes quickly. Surely he was carrying _something_. With all the scrapes he'd gotten into with George, he must have something... Or not.

"George..." Fred's eyes lit up in realization. "Where's George, Hermione?"

There was no way that George would have let her come find him by herself. And even with the compass, he was probably how she knew where to find him in the first place.

"M-m-irror..." Hermione murmured weakly.

Had the situation been different, Fred would have felt quite awkward, but instead he made hast in searching her robes, and clasping his hand around a familiar black handle. Thank Merlin for Sirius.

"George?" Fred called anxiously. "Oi, Georgie!"

"You bloody tosspot!" George replied, laughing with relief. Though he would never admit it, he had been getting slightly worried. "Hermione was going crazy. Where are you?"

Instead of replying, Fred simply grimaced, and turned the mirror so that George could see Hermione. He waited until he could hear a sharp gasp, before turning the mirror back around.

"Can you apparate, Fred? I'm by the Old Tree..." George trailed off, thinking of a few blissful childhood memories the two had shared in the forest. However, now was not the time for this, and he snapped back into focus.

"I'll hurt her! Can't you?"

"What's me being there going to do? I'm just as bad at healing spells as you are."

"Get help, you bloody wanker."

"Oh, yes," George said dryly. "Harry and Ginny, being the only ones home, are going to be _very_ helpful."

"George..."

"Alright, alright. You're at the slope bit, right?" George waited for Fred's nod of confirmation before continuing. "You might want to try and stop the blood... clean it or something, I'll go... Do something useful. Call me in about ten, alright?"

He wasn't given any time to reply, and he sighed, putting the mirror safely away in his robes. Looking at Hermione's disheveled form, he pulled out his wand - might as well try clean it... stop the flow or something...

_Come on, Georgie...

* * *

_

**Authors' Stuff**: Well... almost a month. Almost. Sorry guys :( We fail epically. However! It's up now, right?

Kimberley would like to kindly point out the poll on her profile, though I don't think we'll be writing that one together.. *eyebrow raises*

& Well. Yes. Until next time!

_Rachel & Kimberley xox_


	13. Forgiveness

**Disclaimer**: We don't own Harry Potter. And "we" are RGBTheDuckie and xakemii

* * *

Fred looked over at Hermione, unsure of what to do. George had told him to stop the bleeding, but how was he supposed to do that? Well, first things first, he supposed. Pulling out his wand, he squinted at her leg. Madame Pomfrey had always made sure that the cut was clean of blood, so maybe that would be a good start? Not for the first time, Fred wondered how on earth he had managed to be injured so many times due to pranks yet _still_ had never bothered to learn about healing. Then again, he usually relied on that cream.

"Hermione? Stay with me, okay? I'm going to try to clean your leg," he told her. He waited for her grunt in reply before pointing his wand to her leg and muttering, "_______Scourgify_."

She flinched as the blood covering her leg disappeared, and for a few moments, Fred let himself feel just a little bit proud. Then a little droplet of blood turned into a pool – exactly as it had been before.

"P-p-pressure," Hermione stuttered. "P-press down on it-t."

With a look on realization, Fred immediately began to look around him, wondering whether it was possible to find a random piece of cloth in the middle of a forest. Apparently not. Shuddering as the cold air hit his bare torso, he tugged his t-shirt over his head. Bending over her leg, Fred inspected the wound. By now, he had wrapped his shirt around her leg, and there really wasn't a lot to see. Scanning over the rest of her body, Fred noted that other than a few scraps and bruises, and being a bit out of it, Hermione seemed relatively fine.

"Does anything else hurt?" Fred asked, feeling relieved as she shook her head. Pulling out the mirror, he uttered, "George? You there?"

It only took George a few moments to reply, and Fred let go of the breath he didn't know he was holding when his twin appeared on the mirror. "It's only been about five minutes, Fred."

Fred shrugged. "Where are you?"

"At the Burrow. We're trying to find something that could help," he paused, and Fred could hear the chattering of voices in the background. "Hold on a minute, Gin wants to talk to you."

With that, George was roughly pushed aside from the mirror and replaced by Ginny's face.

"Fred, what's happening? George turned up and told us that Hermione's been hurt and that she needs our help. We've been searching all over the house for some of Mum's healing stuff, but we can't find anything. I've been so worried, I wanted to leave straight away, but George stopped me. What did you do?" Ginny babbled in a panic stricken way.

Fred grinded his teeth at her last comment. "I didn't do anything. She fell. Where's Mum?"

"We don't know!"

Fred sighed. His mother would have been the best help. Not only was she best with household spells, but she also wasn't half bad with most types of healing spells. Without her there, it could take hours for George or him to learn a spell that could even remotely help the situation.

A distant _pop_ from behind Ginny caused her to gasp, and Fred looked up,

"Some just apparated, it could be Mum," Ginny grinned, and disappeared from the picture momentarily before coming back with a disappointed look. "It's just Bill, back from France," she informed him.

At this, Fred frowned, until an idea formed into in his mind. "Bill fixed Harry's shoulder."

Ginny's face lit up. "And my ankle."

"I'll see you in about five minutes," Fred grinned as his younger sister nodded at him, and he placed the mirror carefully away on a rock.

The wait was the longest part. Never before had five minutes felt so _long_. He sat with Hermione, her head rested on his lap. He tried to keep her talking; if she slipped into unconsciousness he wasn't sure if she'd wake up. He babbled on about nothing, hoping to keep her interested. She nodded occasionally, before grasping her head in the pain of doing so. He was talking none stop, when Hermione interrupted him.

"Fred," she whispered, staring up at him with her big, brown eyes. "I'm sorry, about the thing with Harry. I swear I was only there because of his nightmare. You've got to believe me. I'm so sorry."

Fred opened his mouth, but said nothing. He didn't know how to respond. "Hermione, I –" He stopped. Hermione's eyes were fluttering closed. Her head fell backwards against his leg. "No, wake up!" he exclaimed, shaking her shoulders. She couldn't go on him now. Not after everything.

There was a _pop_ as Bill appeared on the bank above them. Harry and Ginny were clutching onto his arm, looking slightly pale after side-apparating. George appeared a moment later, chuckling as Ron blanched and kneeled over to throw up in the nearby bushes.

"Bill?" Fred called up, stilling shaking Hermione's shoulders. "Come down here, will you?"

In a flash, Bill had apparated a few metres away from Fred and Hermione. He winced slightly at the sight of Hermione, but nodded at his younger brother. Fred understood, and shifted slightly, giving Bill better access to her. Letting out a low whistle, Bill pulling his wand from his pocket, and gently peeled Fred's now soaked t-shirt from the wound. After closing his eyes for a few moments, gaining his concentration, he opened his eyes and flicked his wand over her leg.

* * *

"Shush... I think she's waking up!"

"Thank Merlin! Can you imagine what Mum would've said?"

"Well no, but I don't imagine you'd be able to have children."

"Ginny!"

"Well, it's the truth..."

Hermione could hear the typical Weasley bantering, and to be honest, she really wished they would _shut up_. She couldn't remember ever feeling like someone had used her head as a football, and to be honest, she was really hating it. But the Weasleys were the Weasleys, and she highly doubted that they would be quiet any time soon.

"Hermione!" Ginny squealed, leaping on her friend without a moments thought. "Merlin! Are you alright? Fred's outside with George, and Bill's... Well, he was here about two minutes ago. I guess he's just getting something for your leg. Merlin, your leg! Honestly Hermione, how did you manage that? Fred says you fell, but Ron thinks he pushed you, and -"

"Ginny!" Hermione clutched at her head, trying to stop the throbbing, as she became acutely aware of the pain shooting up the side of her leg. She could remember some bits. Falling... Fred... Apologizing... Fred... "Where's Fred?"

Ginny pursed her lip in annoyance. "Honestly! I just told you that he's outside. Bill healed you, by the way. And he's said that you ought to rest."

"But I -"

"No buts!" Ginny exclaimed, batting away Hermione's hand that was edging towards her wand on the side table. "Sleep, Hermione. I'll wake you in an hour and then you can do whatever you want to my brother, alright?"

Hermione raised her eyebrows at this comment, before bursting into a fit of giggles.

"Not like that," Ginny groaned, getting to her feet and nearing the door. "Sleep, Hermione. I mean it."

"Wait," Hermione said attempting to sit up, but falling back onto the pillows as her head throbbed. "Don't let Fred kill Harry," she murmmered, before closing her eyes and letting the sleep take over.

* * *

True to her word, an hour later, Ginny came back into the room and woke Hermione. Hermione was about to respond, when Ginny shook her head, placing a finger to her lips. Nodding towards the door, she whispered, "Mum's home. Bill's talking to her."

"Is she mad?" Hermione whispered back, afraid of the answer she was going to receive. Molly Weasley was a nice woman, that was true. But when she was mad... Hermione shuddered at the thought, and looked pleadingly at her younger friend.

"I think Bill's handling it," Ginny told her. As the words slipped from the mouth, the door slammed open. The two girls flinched as Mrs Weasley stormed into the room. Ginny stood and moved from Hermione's side as she moved towards them.

"Hermione, what happened?" she demanded. Hermione didn't get the chance to answer. "Who did this?" She spun around to glare at Bill who was standing awkwardly in the doorframe. He rubbed the back of his neck, attempting not to make eye contact.

"I told you, Mum, it was an accident," Bill said. Mrs Weasley continued to glare at her son.

"He's telling the truth," Hermione said. She sat upwards, ignoring the stabbing pain in her head. "I fell, I wasn't looking where I was going, it was my fault. I'm perfectly fine now, thanks to Bill."

Bill grinned from behind his mother, giving her a thumbs up. Molly gave a indignant _hmphh_, before turning on her heel sharply and leaving the room. Calling over her shoulder, she said, "Dinner will be ready in twenty minutes."

As she left the room, the two siblings breathed a sigh of relief, and Hermione slid back down on her bed, clutching the sides of her head. Bill grinned at her, before sticking his out the door and giving a discreet nod. Saying a quick thanks to Hermione, he tugged on his little sister's elbow and dragged her out of the room. They left quickly, and soon, in their place stood Fred.

"Fred..." Hermione murmured weakly. "The thing with Harry..."

"I talked to him," he interrupted.

Hermione's eyes widened. "Is he alive?"

"Yes," Fred laughed, before forcing a serious look on his face. "He said you were telling the truth."

"I was," she replied bluntly.

"So are you feeling alright?"

"Except for my head feeling like someone's stomped on it? I suppose I'm feeling alright," Hermione muttered, not liking the whining tone in her voice. "Wait, that's it, then? You believe me?"

"Yeah, well," Fred shrugged. Hermione smiled slightly. She thought back to her fall. She remembered pain, lots of pain, and blood. Fred, he was the one thing that she remembered strongly, him staying by her side the entire time. He had been there begging her to stay awake.

"Why did you do it?" she asked. Fred raised his eyebrows questioningly. "Why did you follow me down the hill? You hated me for what you thought I'd done. But you saved me anyway." Fred sat down on the bed next to her, sighing deeply.

"I could never hate you. I wanted to, for what I thought you'd done. But I just couldn't bring myself to do so," he paused for a minute. Bringing up his hand he swept a lock of bushy hair behind her ear. "Hermione, you are the most beautiful, smart, kind person I have ever met. I couldn't hate you if my life depended on it. I might... well, I think I love you."

Hermione chocked back a sob. She didn't know what to say. She didn't have to say anything, as Fred leaned in and pressed his lips gently against hers. Hermione threw her arms around her neck, pulling him closer to her. He adjusted his position, so he was straddled over top of her.

"Ouch!" Hermione squealed, pushing Fred off the top of her. He fell to the floor with a bang. He recovered quickly. Sitting upright he turned to Hermione.

"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly.

She nodded, a pained look on her face. "You leaned on me leg," she told him.

Fred frowned, Bill's healing magic wasn't as good as his Mum's. He had wanted to get her to have a look at it, but everyone else had been dead set against the idea. They had all agreed that she would kill them.

"You should get more rest," he said, standing up. She was about to argue when he leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "Just have a sleep before dinner, and then you can come down and show us all how you're _okay_." He tucked the blankets up around her, before turning and leaving the room.

* * *

**Stuff**: Awwr, and how sweet is _that? _

Rachel: Thanks everyone :D Last chapter /sniffsniff. BUT! We have a pretty awesome epilogue type thing lined up for you guys :D &... Sorry about the straddling part. Can you say _awkward?_

Kimberley: *echoes Rachel's thanks* .. Well, that's all, except for some review responses :D

**Mystii: **Because it's fun ;) Joking! Thanks for reviewing everysinglechapter! We really appreciate it.

**keelhaulrose: **Thank you so much for reviewing every single chapter!

**HotWolfGirl: ***prods above* Thank you, thank you, thank you!

**Robyn: **... *harasses* Come on, love. You know you want to send a certain email to a certain someone...


	14. Last Chapter Epilogue Thing!

**Disclaimers and Notes**: Written by both RGBTheDuckie and xakemii, neither whom own Harry Potter.

&& MY GOSH. Here's the funny little last chapter/epilogue type thing :D

* * *

Hermione stood at the top of the hill, looking uncertainly at her boyfriend. She had never liked heights. Her fall two weeks ago only increased those feelings. Frowning, Hermione raised her eyebrows at Fred, who responded by nodding reassuringly. At this, she shifted her gaze back towards the torture weapon. Oh yes, flying was definitely the bane of her existence.

"I think it's dangerous," Hermione said seriously. "Lethal, even."

Fred suppressed his laughter. "It's a broom."

"Exactly!"

He was holding two brooms, one of which he gestured for her to take. She took one step forward. Fred sighed. This was going to be a lot harder than he thought. Ginny had brought up the subject of learning how to ride a broom again, and Fred had been rather eager to teach Hermione, despite the incident that had occurred a few weeks ago. Hermione, unfortunately, hadn't been so eager.

"Come on," he coaxed. "I promise I won't let you fall."

Hermione look sceptically at him. "I seem to remember you saying something very similar to that last time." Fred groaned as she quoted, "_I promise you, I won't let anything happen to you._"

"I didn't know that Bill had cursed the broom!"

"Did you check this one?"

"Hermione!" Fred exclaimed, looking ever so slightly impatient. "Of course I did."

Hermione wasn't reassured by those words, but hesitantly took another step towards Fred. She bit her lip nervously. "I don't think I can do this," she said, starting to walk backwards, away from Fred and the terrorizing brooms.

Fred groaned and mounted his own broom. Slowly he drifted over to Hermione, who had already retreated fifty meters away. "Get on," he told her. She raised her eyebrow. Fred simply repeated his instructions.

"Can it hold both of us?" She asked timidly. Fred grinned, slightly amused by the comment.

"Of course it can, it's magic. Now hop on before I drag you on."

Hermione held her breath. Slowly she swung her leg over the broom, still looking unsure. It was hovering barely two feet of the ground, but she wrapped her arms tightly around Fred.

"Now I'm going to push off, are you ready?"

Hermione barely registered the question. She was too busy trying to ignore the voice telling her to hop off the broom and run as far away as possible. Fred took her silence as a yes, and as gently as he could, pushed against the ground, propelling them into the sky. Hermione couldn't remember how to breathe as the ground got further and further away. Her grip on Fred tightened as she started to panic. Why had she let him drag her into this? She would have been perfectly fine never leaving the ground again. But no, one look from his big brown eyes and she had relented.

"Open your eyes," Fred murmured. "We're not too high."

"Yes we are," Hermione replied, keeping her eyes clamped closed. "I really, really hate this."

"I'm looking right at you," he told her. Hermione groaned, she had been betting on that to work. Slowly she opened her eyes. They were hovering ten feet from the ground. She sucked in air between her teeth and squeezed Fred.

Some things... yeah, they just don't change.

* * *

The two stood uneasily next to each other as Hermione looked, for the first time, uncertainly at the train in front of her.

"I'm going to miss you," she said, looking wide-eyed at him.

Fred responded with a weak smile. "I got you something." Hermione gasped as Fred showed her what he had retrieved from his pocket. Sitting in the palm of his hand was her locket.

"I thought I'd lost it in the forest," she said, looking up at Fred. He smiled.

"I picked it up," He told her. He gestured for her to turn around. She did so, and carefully, he put the necklace on her. "It was a bit broken from you throwing it at the ground. But I fixed it for you. You never know when you might need to find me again." He finished doing up the clasp and let the necklace hang off her neck. The metal was cold against her skin, but she didn't mind. Her fingers traced the delicate patterns.

"I'll never take it off," she said, swinging back around to look at him. "Thank you."

She threw her arms around his neck. Laughing, Fred lifted her feet from the ground. They could have stayed like that forever, but eventually Fred put her back down. People were piling onto the train, and he knew that it was only minutes before she had to leave.

"Promise me you'll stay out of trouble this year."

Hermione laughed at this. "This coming from you of all people," she said, shaking her head slightly. What was the world coming to when one of the biggest pranksters of all time was telling her to stay out of trouble?

"I mean it," Fred said, looking down at her with a serious expression. "I want you back in one piece." Hermione sighed. Whenever she was with Harry and Ron, trouble seemed to be attracted to them.

"I'll try, as long as you promise not to forget about me."

Fred tucked a lose curl behind her ear. "I could never forget about you." A whistle blew. "You really should get onto the train now." He leaned down and kissed the top of her head.

"Good bye," Hermione whispered, before climbing onto the train.

* * *

"Fred," George groaned as he watched his twin run his hand through his hair for the hundredth time. "Just a girl, remember?"

He opened his mouth to respond, when Ginny came flying into the room, a pair of Extendable Ears dangling at her fingertips. She grinned at the two as they stared at her gobsmacked, simply shaking her head as she plopped down on George's bed.

"Déjà vu," Fred muttered under his breath. "Well?"

"She's waiting for you, you know?" Ginny said, a unwelcome whine slipping into her tone. "She's being going on about this date for ages."

"So has he," George chuckled, narrowly avoiding the pillow that was thrown his way.

"Well it is her first date after leaving Hogwarts," she mused, pausing to wink in her older brother's direction. "Got anything planned, Fred?"

Fred smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know?" he called over his shoulder as he left the room, and then promptly disappeared with a _pop_.

Almost immediately, Ginny turned to the other twin. "Is he going to ask her the big one any time soon?"

"Marriage, you mean?" George replied, cocking his eyebrow. "He's been thinking about it."

"We should..." she trailed off, the wheels in her mind whirring. "Give him a nudge, maybe?" She grinned, offering her hand.

George looked at his little sister curiously for a moment, wondering when on Earth she had become so devious. Grudgingly, he shook her hand. "Get her to say it, and I'm all yours."

"Easy."

* * *

**Authors' Notes**: OHMYGOSH WE FINISHED IT. Hopefully you all really really enjoyed it, because we really enjoyed writing it! It's been ages since we've first started this, and it's a little weird to see it finally finished :O

& like yeah, we're aiming for 100 reviews guys/girls, so come on! 13 more to go, right? ;D

Thanks to everyone that's been reviewing, alerting and favouriting, because they definitely made us type faster (though a lot of the time, it might not have seemed that way, sorry)...

WE LOVE YOU ALL. Keep an eye out should we start a new work together in the future ;)

_**Love Rachel And Kimberley**_


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